Caught in the Whirlwind
by Soupandassdoctor
Summary: *Old fic/repost- Vauseman before Litchfield. This was my first story/ an attempt to fill in the blanks of what we knew between Season 1-season 3. Headcanon- domestic/smutty/traveling/ young Vauseman.
1. Chapter 1

This was the first fic I ever wrote. I started writing it about 4 months after OITNB started bc I wanted to fill in the blanks between the pieces we knew about when they traveled together and their split in Paris. It starts off a little rough but the writing (in my opinion) gets better as I became more experienced.

Enjoy!

Caught in the Whirlwind

1

They lie on the amply stuffed brown leather couch, Piper sits upright facing the condescending tone of Mr. Trebek, while Alex lies on her back, one leg extended underneath the blonde, the other bent in a passé.

"In the Nutcracker, this fairy rules the Kingdom of the Sweets," comes the voice blaring from the set.

"Sugar Plum Fairy!," Piper squees excitedly. The blonde's decibel breaks Alex away from the frantic clacking that she'd been at on the laptop that lay warmly against her abdomen. She subtly pushes her head back into the supportive pillow behind her neck, and dips it toward the right to spy on the younger blonde, who sits on the other side of her computer. Without breaking her eye contact from the T.V., Piper turns her chin slightly toward the supine figure,

"you know, as a kid, whenever this ballet was on T.V., the music always caught my ear. I'd said a countless number of times that I wanted to go, but conveniently," she chuckles derisively, "nobody seemed to ever hear me."

Alex nodded twice, subconsciously taking in what Piper was saying, not knowing if the other woman was actually talking to her, or just verbalizing her realization. Piper leaned forward, putting slight pressure against Alex's foot, and lifted her glass of wine off of the table. She reclines back, while Alex continues to subtly stare at her, her side lamp casting a yellowy glow, accentuating the young girl's beauty. Piper takes a large sip, making her cheeks imperceptibly bulge as Alex simultaneously curls her toes towards the girl's ass causing her to almost choke, and the wine to escape down the corners of her mouth. Alex slides her laptop onto the coffee table, shifts her position so that she faces Piper, one elbow rests on the arm of the couch, while her other hand catches the droplets 2 seconds from falling from Piper's chin. Alex chuckles and licks the morsel of wine off of her fingers, just before pressing her lips to Piper's. "Yum," she blankly states and pushes herself off of the couch to grab a beer from the fridge.

"D'you want anything from the kitchen?," she calls out.

"I'm on my third glass of wine, Al. This," she raised her glass, "is deceptively filling."

"That's great Piper. You're always going on about all that health shit. Just polish off my fav from Bordeoux without any food," she shouts from her kitchen. The brunette pads back over towards the couch, "just let me finish this and we can grab dinner," she says, pointing her head in the direction of her laptop.

Piper gets off the couch and snakes herself between the older woman and the table. She places her knees on the outside of Alex's hips, extends her arm and pushes her back against the couch.

Alex raises her eyebrows, enthralled at the blonde tigress mounting her, "mental note made to import another bottle of that Beychevelle."

Piper leans forward to catch Alex's bottom lip between her teeth just as she finishes her smart ass comment. Never needing prompting, Alex slips her hands around the small of Piper's back, pushes her palms beneath the elastic of the blonde's pants and panties. and squeezes her toned ass. Piper scoots closer so that her breasts are level with Alex's eyes, their happy places solely separated by a few mere layers of fabric. Alex rakes her nails against the other woman's back, she hooks her pinkies underneath the fabric of her shirt.

"Get rid of it," Piper pleads in breathy grunt.

"Say 'please,'" replies a deep sultry voice.

"Please Alex, fucking take it off." Alex slowly lifts the girl's loose fitting, white v-neck over her torso, her breasts, and finally over her head. She tosses it to the side, and replaces her hands back underneath Piper's ass. She gently lifts the girl using her thighs, and scoots closer to the edge of the couch. Her dark head nuzzles underneath the blonde's right breast and gently nibbles at the base, alternating between nips and kisses. Piper moans out, grinding her center against Alex's pubic bone. Noticing her reaction to the nibbles, Alex leans the blonde away from her, as if to dangle her off the edge of the couch, causing more space between them.

"No, no, no," Piper breathes out. "I need you against me," she swallows, trying to remain composed; she tried to say what she needed, "your lips against my skin." Alex smirks, watching her beg. She tilts her down further away, putting one arm behind her neck. She lays the blonde's upper back onto the coffee table, while her other hand finds its way down the front of Piper's pants. Piper pushes her pants down slightly, as Alex gently strokes the full length of her pussy from her opening to her clit.

"Oh my God," she draws out, "Alex please... take me...stop teasing." Without saying a word, Alex continues to stroke Piper in figure of eights, making her tremble and tilt her hips towards the brunette's delicious hands. She starts to whimper, as she continues to seek out Alex's hand, when Alex finally relents, and slides two fingers into a soaking wet Piper. She pushes her hip against her hand, and thrusts against it, putting a gentle but firm pressure deeply into Piper's center. Piper moans viscerally and claws at Alex's back. Alex curls her fingers, and slowly strokes Piper from inside, while the blonde moves her hips against the curl, teasing her g-spot and rides her fingers hard. Alex continues to pump her fingers "harder", as demanded by Piper, until she feels Piper's thighs squeeze around her torso. She just stares into the blonde, locking her eyes to her own, as she feels the younger woman's walls clench around her fingers. She watches her head tilt back, her body contracts as she comes. She slowly removes her hand, licks her fingers, and pulls Piper back up onto her lap.

"You are fucking," her eyebrows raise, her eyes light up, she whispers into her ear, "gorgeous, when you come." Piper nuzzles into the raven haired woman's neck and plants gentle kisses along the underside of her jaw; she sucks slowly along the pulse point that makes Alex squirm, when she feels two hands on either side of her face pull her away.

"Ahhh, no you don't. I really gotta finish this babe, and I don't want to rush."

Piper inhales, and exhales silently, having heard this and multitude of other excuses time and time before. She kisses Alex's temple, "I'll just go get dressed then," she says with slightly disappointment, "you won't be long?"

"Ten minutes tops, promise."

Piper rises lazily off the couch, almost tripping over her own feet and makes her way down the long hallway toward Alex's bedroom.

Alex snickers and shakes her head from side to side, "Pipes, you wanna just order in?," she calls out.

Piper comes back from down the hall, goofily smiling and smushes the side of her face against the wall, "do you mind? I'm actually kind of sleepy."

"Yeah it must've been real challenging, answering trivia questions, getting shitfaced and fucked."

Piper's jaw drops while her eyes widen. She exhales, letting her eyes squint toward the brunette as she purses her lips. "If I serve no purpose here, I can always leave you know!"

Piper technically lived in an apartment with two roommates who'd been dating since freshmen year of college, but 10 months ago when the tornado that is Alex ripped through her path, she had practically abandoned it and took up residence in the brunette's spatial sanctuary. Alex's apartment was modern, exposed bricks with alternating white walls, and trinkets scattered throughout, evidence of a girl well-traveled. Everything was very clean and neatly organized, as if it wasn't lived in but sporadically visited.

Enter Piper.

The blonde would go to her own place every now and again to pick up "my journal," or, "my sneakers," but ended up bringing a small duffel bag's worth of personal items each time she returned. As each day passed, Alex would find something new melding among her own possessions: a "Smith College" mug on the dish rack, a lone pink sock under the bed, little golden hair clips scattered over the bathroom sink that were made to pin up straw colored hair. Normally, her stomach would tighten if she walked into such disarray but she never minded Piper's mess, she hadn't realized how fond of the girl she had become.

Suppressing her laughter, the brunette placates, "I'm just fucking with you, I heart 'inebriated just-fucked Piper.'" She curls her index finger, beckoning the blonde to come closer, until their knees touch. She pulls her onto her lap and gently draws her teeth against the space along her neck, "and you're not going anywhere," she says with a husk to her tone that lures the blonde to lean in, impossibly closer, "what do you feel like eating?"

The corner of Piper's mouth turn up, she whispers, "well apparently I wasn't clear before."

The brunette brushes her index finger along the blonde's pouted bottom lip, "as appealing as I am, can you please order us something? I can practically see your shoulder bones sticking up through your shirt," she bucks her hips forward, jostling the blonde, "and I'm fucking starving!"

Piper playfully slaps her, before getting up to order them Thai and within an hour they were slurping on the last of their noodles. With heavy eyes, Alex moans as she savors her last forkful of guai-tiaw. Piper admires her sounds and whispers, "you're such a gourmand, you always act like you haven't eaten in days."

Alex's jaw freezes, mid-chew, she tongues her cheek, "I just appreciate good food. And besides, you're the one always snapping pictures of your dishes, you'd think you would understand." Piper raises her eyebrows as her lips spread out in a smile.

They both rise from the couch, Alex brings their plates into the kitchen, as Piper heads to the bedroom to turn down the blanket on Alex's four post cloud. They partake in evening rituals before crawling underneath the sheet for the night. Alex removes her glasses, places them on her nightstand and turns her lamp off. She feels Piper entwine her fingers into her own, causing her to catch her breath. Alex lays still for a while and listens as Piper's breathing becomes more spaced out, deeper, as a result of an over-indulgence in alcohol. Though the room was so dark that she couldn't see anything, she turns her head towards the blonde,"Pipes?" When she receives no answer, Alex turns onto her stomach, softly chuckles and whispers, "good night kid." She slumps an arm over Piper's middle, shortly drifts off to meet Piper in her dreamy slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Piper stared at the twin belled alarm clock inches from her face. 5:57; her body naturally arose around six A.M. each morning. She was a habitual runner, the distance didn't matter, as long as she could feel her feet hit the pavement and let her mind drift off, she was satisfied. She slipped out of bed, got herself dressed and pecked a sleeping Alex on the cheek. She placed her earbuds in her ears, hit play and headed east on Grove. She reached the part of the street where Christopher turned into West 9th and kept eastbound toward the East River. She jogged in place at the corner of Broadway and East 9th waiting for the light to change, when The Darkness' lyrics slithered through her ears...

I want to kiss you every minute, every hour, every day

You got me in a spin but everything is A.O.K! She smiled to herself, and shook her head.

Touching you, touching me

Touching you God you're touching me. She changed directions and started heading north up Broadway.

I believe in a thing called love

Just listen to the rhythm of my heart.

Piper pressed on until she reached the Union Square Farmer's Market, finally stopping herself to assume a tripod position, she caught her breath. She walked along the stands admiring soaps, pieces of art and fresh produce. She fished out the $20 bill she had in her shoe, and paid for a small bouquet of wild flowers and a carton of fresh blueberries. She walked back towards Alex's apartment basking in the sunshine on that cool late Autumn morning, taking in the sights and smells of Saturday morning New York.

Arriving at Alex's, she located the biggest glass she could find, which ended up being a highball from Alex's liquor cabinet, and made a mental note that this woman needed a vase. She placed the flowers in the glass and set it aside. She scurried around the kitchen as quietly as she could, grabbing the needed ingredients required for a fresh batch of pancakes. She placed the blueberries on top of the pancakes just as the wet side started to bubble and she delicately flipped each one. After building a short stack, she poured some maple syrup on the edge of the plate, grabbed the flowers and headed back towards the bedroom. Alex was still sleeping, lying on her back, with one arm outstretched towards where Piper had lain a little more than an hour prior. She placed the dish and flowers on the night stand and sat beside the sleeping brunette. She stared at the woman, admiring each curve of her face, the curl of her lashes, the little hairs on the back of her neck. Her eyes glanced lower and she suddenly became jealous of the sheet that hugged the brunette's breasts. She gently stroked her hand behind the dark haired woman's nape and planted a soft but lingering kiss to her lips. It took a few seconds, but Alex pursed her lips and kissed back. She inhales, breaking the kiss.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Piper teases as she twirls a lock of Alex's hair around her finger, "or with all this dark hair, should I call you Snow White?"

"You wish I was a Disney Princess," she says, her voice still thick with sleep. She wrinkled her forehead at the aroma in her bedroom, and squints her eyes, "did you cook?"

Piper reached over towards the nightstand, while Alex propped herself up onto her elbows in disbelief, and held the plate in front of the brunette's nose with both hands. "This is really just so I could hear you moan again," she said allowing a giggle to escape.

Alex smirked, and was going to reply cheekily but all that came out was, "this smells incredible," she pauses and looks at Piper with wonder, "thank you."

Piper grabbed the glass of flowers and held them out with a straight arm, "and this is apparently because I'm a hopeless romantic. Do you realize that you don't have a vase? I had to use a booze glass."

They both laughed, "I've never gotten flowers before," she bit her inner lip and shrugged a shoulder, "never needed one." She used the fork to slice into her pancakes, forked a large mouthful, moaned and then covered her mouth with one hand trying to stifle her laughter. "I do moan whenever I eat, what the hell? Now I'm going to be all self-conscious, you little shit!" As she was half way through her pancakes, she realized Piper was all sweaty, "why are you all glowy?"

"I went for a run before I made breakfast?"

The brunette looks at the sky outside her window, "wh-what time is it?" "7:30"

"Jesus, Richard Simmons much? It's 7:30 and it's a damn Saturday."

"Yes 7:30, half of the city has already accomplished the majority of their goals for the day Alex." The brunette rolls her eyes in response. "And on that note I need to shower and get ready for work. I have the brunch shift and Polly texted me, I need to stop at my place after and grab a few things."

Alex reached out and stroked her thigh, "you know, you really don't have to work."

"Oh? Well I still have to pay my share of the rent, my phone bill... things like that. Really, I gotta get ready or I'm going to be late...again." She pecked Alex on the side of her mouth and headed for the bathroom.

Piper's parents still transferred money into her bank account, like they had while she was in college. She worked part-time, 4 days a week, at a little restaurant that paid her roughly half of what she needed to make rent each month, never mind what would be her living expenses, like food and laundry, if she hadn't been spending so much time with Alex. She kept the job to make her feel less entitled, and to remove herself from the details of Alex's work that made her feel uncomfortable, even if it was only for 20 hours a week.

Alex set herself up at her office desk by the large bay window, with her back facing the door. Piper, who was dressed and ready for work, with her apron over her arm, grabbed her purse from the hall and walked over to the doorway, "see you tonight?"

"Mmmmhmm. Hey," she turns around to face the blonde, "wanna go out to dinner? Make up for last night's laziness?"

"Sure!," Piper replied excitedly.

She turns back around to face her computer, "you said you had to pick some stuff up at your place right? I can pick you up at 6?"

"Yes! That would be great, I'll see you later."

Her toes nervously rub together, she sticks her finger through the hole in her old t-shirt, "wear something nice," she said lastly.

Piper turns on her heel to head towards the front door, with a wide smile plastered across her face.

"I'll walk you out," she pushes back from her chair and stands up. "I need coffee," she admits with a muffled grumble, "waking up at this ungodly hour."

The two were headed towards the front door, when Alex stopped dead in her tracks and saw flour scattered over the counter, juice remains on the floor from a previously stepped on runaway blueberry, and the rest of the ingredients still on the kitchen island. She placed her index finger and her thumb on the inner corners of her eyebrows and spread them over the full length, closing her eyes.

One corner of Piper's mouth dragged down, "sorry, I'll get it later."

Alex opened one eye, the other being pressed closed with her hand still over her face and just glared at Piper.

"Oh come off it, Snow White, I gave you breakfast in bed! I said I'd get it later."

Alex drops her hand from her face, and shooes it towards Piper, "see you later," she tells her as she gently pushes her out the door. She puts both of her hands in her hair, and then suddenly calms. She starts cleaning up the mess and thinks about the constant that Piper has become in her life. Yes, she made a mess, but she tried to take care of her, doting around the place like a housewife. It wasn't intentional, the role the younger woman occasionally took on, but it was dawning on Alex, how accustomed she had become to the blonde.

Piper busses her last table, rinses her hands in the sink and slumps onto a metal stool in the large restaurant kitchen. She pulls her phone out of her apron and sends a text to Alex.

P: Soooo, where are we going tonight?

A: I don't know, I guess you'll see later. Almost done over there?

P: Hmmm. Why do I have to wear something nice then? Yes. Finally done, I didn't get a break all day.

A: Because I want to see your fine ass in something nice, ok? Poor working girl. P: This ass? (_I_) I miss you.

A: I miss you too kid, see you later.

Piper sighed at the thought of getting all the way to her place, but got the motivation when she thought about her night ahead with Alex. It had only been 10 months since they met; they went on two dates during the initial month, but then Alex's job, which she had revealed involved importing heroin as a lead member of an international drug cartel, required her to spend time outside of the country for four full months after their second date. They talked via text and shared many phone conversations but now that she'd been back for the last five months, whenever Piper was separated from the older woman, the blonde found herself longing to be near her, wondering what she was doing, hoping she was safe.

She climbed the four flights of her walk up apartment, let herself in and laid on the couch. One of her roommates Polly, walked in, eating a bowl of cereal for a late lunch. "Well look who's alive and well, so glad you could let Pete and I know you still live here other than your portions of the bills getting paid each month. That giant still making you cum seven times a night?"

"Hey, don't be bitter because I'm with someone who's mastered the horizontal chacha, okay?"

Polly rolled her eyes and whined, "you know, this bowl is so heavy, it's like my hand has no strength." She placed the bowl down on the table, while Piper looked at her like she was a lunatic, when then sunlight caught the new ring on Polly's finger.

"Ahhhhhh!," Piper screamed grabbing both of her friends hands as they jumped up and down and hugged. She held her friend's hand up and admired her ring, "it's beautiful! When did he ask? How did he do it?" Polly went over all of the details of Pete's proposal and how even though she knew they would end up together, that she hadn't expected him to ask this soon. She was so excited and Piper was excited for her friend's future.

"Anyways back to your sexcapades," Polly said spooning in another mouthful of now soggy cereal. She sighed, after listening to Piper's recap, "whatever, as long as you're going home to the same person every night, I guess I can't say shit. You just u-hauled out of here, and into her place. It got exclusive really quick, no?"

Piper narrowed her eyebrows, she hadn't really thought about the status of their relationship. She was just having fun. Weren't you? She had no intention of seeing anyone simultaneously while she was with Alex, but she didn't know if Alex had been with anyone else since they'd met.

"I don't know if we're exclusive," she said, looking suddenly heartbroken. She placed her hands together as if she was praying and placed the tips of her fingers against her lips. Her heart sank at the thought of sharing the brunette with someone else in the universe. It wasn't until her best friend asked about their status, did she realize she was falling in love. She had just adapted her life to Alex's, not analyzing much of what had become their relationship. She hadn't thought about what anything really meant other than the day they met. That evening had been full of if/then's and the feelings pulsing through her body. She thanked the higher powers above that she was dopey enough to order a margarita in the winter, making herself easy prey, open to approach and ridicule.

"W-w-wait..." Polly spit out, putting her cereal down, her hand waving around, "you've had no discussion about being with other people? Piper you practically live there, she let you invite me over to her place while throwing a party that, I'm sorry, screamed that she was trying to impress you and hello, the most important person in your life."

"I don't know, I don't want to freak her out by asking her what 'we' are, if we're even a 'we.' She hasn't really mentioned many past relationships or anything. I mean be-lieve me, it's clear she's been with her share of females, but not much else is clear. I don't want to think about it. I need to get some stuff together and get ready for tonight."

"Where are you off to now?"

"Dinner," she says unable to fight her smile. "She said to wear something nice, but she also said it was because she wanted to see my quote on quote fine ass in something nice, not that we were necessarily going anywhere special."

"Well, regardless of what you're doing tonight with that vampire, I'm happy for you. I've never seen you so excited and dreamy about anyone like this before. She just better not do anything stupid. Anything else, I should say. What does she say when you keep bringing crap tons of stuff to her place?"

"Nothing. She's never mentioned anything about my things there." Polly raised her eyebrows, rubbed Piper's head and walked away.

Downtown, Alex walked into the lobby of Lincoln Center and headed towards the will call window of the box office. "Picking up tickets for tonight, last name Vause." Alex headed back toward her car and drove uptown to meet Piper.

Piper ran around the apartment, looking for her other black heel. It was 5:45; she hobbled around with her one shoe on, she couldn't find her earrings, and her hair wasn't completely dry. "Polly, I can't find my black closed toe heel, can you help me look for...," the doorbell rang, "shit! Polly!?," Piper yelled out and went over to the intercom, "Alex?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Alex, I'm so sorry, I'm not ready yet, do you want to come up? I just need like 10 minutes" "Uh, yeah," she said slightly annoyed at having to wait around, "take your time."

Alex did a tour of the downstairs lobby in search of an elevator. Upon realizing there wasn't one she climbed the four flights, eventually reaching the outside of Piper's door. Cursing under her breath, she knocked twice.

Polly answered. "Hi Alex," she said standing up straighter, having forgotten how small she felt in her presence, "Piper's still getting ready...," she stops as Alex walks in past her. She mumbles sarcastically under her breath, "oh would you like to come in? Supercunt."

She follows Alex's footsteps into their living room which was furnished with a hodge podge of family hand me down's and smattering of pieces from Ikea. Alex sat on the couch, while Polly sat on the arm of one of their chairs, with one leg crossed over the other. She exhales and sucks it up for Piper's sake, "look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but..."

"We did?," Alex asked confusedly.

"That time we met at your place? You called me Holly."

Alex looked at her confusedly, with a fish hooked eyebrow inquiring for her to get to the point.

"It's Polly!," she said almost shouting.

"I know, I'm just messing with you, I was well on my way to a pretty nasty hangover at that point. I was celebrating a big night, work wise," she offers in lieu of an apology.

She exhaled dramatically but nodded as if it was no big deal, not wanting to give the amazon the satisfaction of riling her up. "It's cool. So where are you guys off to tonight? Piper should be ready soon, you know how she is, can't find anything."

"Just dinner and a show, don't mention it though, alright?"

"Polly, can you come help me with this?," Piper shouted from down the hall.

Polly went to whatever was left of Piper's bedroom and helped zip up the back of her dress. She caught a glimpse of her friend's blushing cheeks in the mirror. "Hey, whats up? Why are you freaking out? This isn't like your first date with her for Christ's sake."

"She's in our tiny, messy apartment, and I'm rushing around, and now, thanks to you, I'm thinking about what I'm even doing with her. What could possibly even see in me?"

Polly poked her head into the hall and saw Alex standing near their large bookshelf, which held photos from more recent days and the past. Alex crouched down and lifted one of Piper and her brother in a silvery frame, she couldn't have been more than 7. She traced the frame with her thumb and smiled. Polly pulled Piper gently towards the hall. "You don't do that when you're

goofing off with someone," she says genuinely in at an attempt to boost her friend's confidence. "C'mon now, you look beautiful, go."

Piper made her way down the hall and Alex stood up, adjusting her glasses. "You look... amazing."

Piper further blushed as she eyed Alex in her form fitted navy blue dress and 40's pin up hair style. "Thanks, I'm sorry I made you wait. I...," she stumbled over her words, "I love," her words had just come barreling up her throat,"... that dress on you." She took a deep breath and exhaled irritated at her cowardice, "Polly, I'll see you later."

They were walking out the front door when Piper saw the bag she packed with more outfits and comforts of "home." She didn't know where to call home anymore; one place contained more of her belongings quantitatively, but she felt more at peace and longed to spend most of her time in the other. She walked past the bag and pulled the door closed behind her, when she felt the door pull back. Polly stood in the doorway clutching Piper's bag,

"you forgot this," the short brunette said heaving the heavy bag toward her friend.

"It's fine, just leave it here," she gritted through her teeth trying to push the bag back toward Polly.

"I got it," Alex took the bag from Piper, threw it over her shoulder, and started down the stairs. Piper turned toward Polly with a "what the fuck?!," look on her face and followed behind Alex careful not to wipe out down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

3

Alex popped the trunk of her car and placed Piper's bag in the back. She walked around to the passenger door and opened the door while nodding her head towards it, "well are you getting in or are we going to freeze our asses off out here?"

Taken aback by the chivalry, Piper snapped her head back to reality, threw the brunette a closed mouth smile, while ducking her head to slowly descend into Alex's sports coupe. Piper started flipping through the radio and settled on a station that was blaring the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army." Alex started tapping the steering wheel, while Piper recreated the beat singing "bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow." "

"Did you know that the background beat isn't a bass but made by a 50's Kay Hollowbody acoustic guitar?"

Any time Piper rattled off some bit of information, important or useless, it didn't matter, Alex felt a familiar wetness gather between her thighs. She liked facts as much as she enjoyed her fantasy. "Hmmph," she releases amused keeping her eyes on the road. She rests her hand on the blonde's thigh, "my little savant...," she casually adjusts herself, "how do you know about so much random shit?"

My. My? The blonde's heart thumps against her sternum. Did she slip? Did she use possessives for everyone or did she really consider Piper to be hers? She felt cool fingers wrap around her wrist. "Piper?" She saw a dark painted fingernail swirl in front of her eyes, "hellooo? We're here. Are you alright? You've been spacing out." Piper looked up at the front of the Gramercy Tavern, from what she could tell by the large window was a rustic chic restaurant.

They wait for a moment by the podium, "two under Vause," Alex told the hostess near the doorway. The space was adorned with white and colorful lights for the holidays. Once they were seated, they began to peruse the menu when Piper's eyes went wide at the Prix Fixe and wine prices. It was definitely not an overtly fancy place and Alex had always been honest with her when she wanted to take her someplace impressive. She had just brushed this off as a regular night, but Piper couldn't help but fixate on the fact that she was about to drop a couple hundred dollars easy, on dinner for two. Alex had an eye for restaurants that prepared quality food with a new awareness of where it came from due to Piper's constant inquiries about the GMO's, humanity of the animals being raised, and pesticide use. Alex decided on the "Pasture Raised Chicken," she said mockingly and embarrassingly slowly to the waiter while staring directly into Piper's eyes, "and sausage with apples, kohlrabi and dumplings," while Piper ordered the Pork Loin and Deckle. Alex leaned forward slightly toward Piper, "another go at a Bordeaux?"

"Definitely," Piper approved quickly, remembering the wine she devoured the night prior.

"We'll take the half bottle of your Saint-Julien, Léoville-Las-Cases, Deuxième Cru, please." Piper was entranced at Alex's perfect French pronunciation.

"So tell me, why were you freaking out about your bag earlier?," Alex asked resting her chin on her clasped hands, her elbows resting on the table. "You said you needed to get some stuff. Anything in there I shouldn't see?" Piper noticed her eyes dancing back and forth.

"Oh no, it was nothing, I don't have anything to hide. It was just some more clothes and junk really."

The brunette's eyes tell her, she's aware that she's bullshitting her.

She sighs, "okay, Polly said something to me; I just didn't think it was necessary for me to bring more stuff into your space," she continued, tracing her nails along the table cloth.

"What did she say exactly?," she asks noticing the blonde becoming antsy, "don't be nervous." Piper's eyes remained on her own hands. "Here, take a sip," she encourages as she pours a glass of wine for Piper and rubs her hand.

"I'm not nervous, it's all so stupid. It's...," she gulped down the wine, "it's just really, really hot in here."

"Oooook," she remarked, adjusting her glasses.

Piper brought two fingers to her temples and rubbed. "This is ridiculous, you know, she just made me feel kind of pathetic, making fun of how I'm continuously adding more of my mess to your apartment, asking too many juvenile questions that honestly hadn't even crossed my mind, and now I'm obsessing over them and..."

"Whoa there kid, slow down, take a breath. First of all, she doesn't make you feel anything, you're in control of yourself alright? Secondly, your mess is always welcome, whatever makes you comfortable, bring it. Hell, bring everything you've got over, I don't..." she paused.

"You don't what?" she asked immediately.

Alex exhaled deeply, she rubbed the side of her foot along the inside of Piper's ankle and slowly dragged it up her calf. "I was just saying, you could leave your things at my place, indefinitely." What did I just do?! She looks up at Piper's surprised expression. "I mean you don't have to, I don't want to rush you into anything."

Piper's lips tightened. Was she hearing what she thought she was hearing? The whole last hour she felt like she was on the urge of vomiting over subconsciously moving her life little by little over to Alex's apartment and now it seemed as though Alex subconsciously spat out what she really wanted as well. They were on the same page, as if someone high above were pulling their silky marionette strings, weaving their paths.

All too obvious to Alex, Piper never responded to the offer as if it wasn't even mentioned. "Polly said I 'u-hauled' my way in." Alex held her hands and smoothed the skin over Piper's palms with her thumbs until their food was placed in front of them. Piper waited for Alex's moan, while Alex, now all too conscious of her habit, raised a hand and frankly told her to "shut up." Their dinner conversation became relaxed and light, being comprised of small talk and nonsense. Alex placed her card in the bill holder and excused herself to use the restroom. As she returned she pulled the tickets out of in the inner pocket of her dress jacket, slipped her arms around Piper's shoulders from behind and asked her, "wanna be my date?"

Piper's eyes adjusted to the close proximity of the papers dangling in front of her and read, "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker."

She gasps, "Alex, tonight? Like right now?" She jumps out of her chair and embraces the tall brunette in a tight hug. "Thank you! I'm so excited! Of course I'll be your date."

The women got back into Alex's car slightly comatose from the all of the food and wine and headed towards Lincoln Center. Once settled into the velvet seats, Piper's mind finally slowed down. She turned her neck to take in the size of the space, and the pre-theater chatter amongst the audience. Piper was a true thespian, loving every type of live performance. She majored in theater, and appreciated all the fine details of art costuming, the workshops that the cast read through, the reasons why specific props were chosen over others, the journey that the piece went through before it had it's opening night. She was about to witness a classic that she had never managed to see in her entire 22 years and she hoped she could soon show Alex her gratitude. The lights started to dim, her hand sought Alex's, and once she found it she squeezed it gently as the overture began. Throughout the show Alex peered at Piper out of the corner of her eye. She gazed adoringly at the girls' reactions to the snow falling, the mice coming to life, the strength of the music heard from the full orchestra pit: the violins, bassoons, the deep drawl of the cello. She was entranced, eyes wide, literally sitting at the edge of her seat. Despite Alex's caution, Piper felt her gaze, she turned towards Alex, mouthed "thank you...so much," and planted the softest kiss on her mouth. They got back into Alex's car and started heading back to the brunette's apartment. Piper regaled about her favorite parts of the show, chattering about a mile a minute while Alex just listened to her summary.

Once they parked, as they rounded the corner of Alex's street, someone covering Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life" was heard each time the bars door opened and closed. Piper, much too high off the ballet she just witnessed, was too excited to settle in for the night, so she grabbed Alex by the hand and dragged her inside the Stonewall. A sign advertising "2 for $10 shots of premium tequila" was displayed above the bar and within minutes Piper and Alex clanked their shot glasses together and downed the contents. Piper eyeballed the small platform towards the back where the karaoke machine was set up when she felt Alex give her a gentle shove and heard her say "go for it."

"Yeah, I'll be needing more than one shot of tequila if I'm going to serenade you."

With that, Alex sauntered over to the bar and brought back two more shots of tequila and again

they said their cheers and downed the shots. Alex shook her head at the bitterness. Her drink was normally Southern Comfort mixed with cranberry or grape juice; Piper loved tequila. Some of the people getting up to sing were very talented and so the small amount of courage created by her tequila quickly shattered. Piper went up to the bar grabbed a shot glass in each hand and made her way through the crowd back to the tall table where Alex was leaning against on her elbow. She lifted the glass to her mouth, sucked it down and slammed it on the table. She quickly scooped up the second, repeated and then jumped up and down, getting chills all over her body.

"Trying to drink your body weight kid? You better slow down."

Piper placed her arms around Alex's neck and leaned into her dark hair inhaling her scent. She sucked on her earlobe, pecked her on the cheek and made her way to the platform. She stepped onto the platform and began her, what would be, memorable tribute to Pat Benetar. She pointed between herself and Alex, "we are young, heartache to heartache we stand," while Alex just cupped her chin just covering her lip with her pointer finger, chuckling. She continued, she raised one arm in the air, "no promises or demands..." Piper closed her eyes and lowered the hand with the mic onto a rail surrounding the platform. She looked as though the room was spinning though it seemed to have passed because she picked up, now pointing her arm at a complete stranger, "we are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong, searching our hearts for so looooong..." It hit her again, this wave of nausea that made her face flush- she was going to puke. She put the mic down forcefully making a screeching noise that could be heard throughout the bar. She made her way through the thick crowd, starting to panic, having no idea which direction the bathroom was in. She staggered sloppily along the sticky floor, until she saw the reflections of some flashing lights from the outside traffic and headed for the main door. Alex called out to her, but her voice was enveloped in the laughter, the blaring music and conversations throughout the cramped place. Piper felt her gag reflex give, she needed 5 more feet to clear the exit but she couldn't make it and she threw up right against the glass of the main door.

Completely mortified, she found a clean spot on the door, placed her hand against and it pushed it open, freeing herself into the cold NY air. She ran for ten seconds as far as she could being drunk and in heels, and Alex quickly caught up despite her gasping for air between her hearty laughter. She placed an open palmed hand on the girl's back and blankly said, "one shot too many Pipes, let's go home." Alex caught the last word just as she said it, was it Piper's home now too? She hated the vulnerability coursing through her body. She noticed the blonde hadn't answered but didn't want to press the matter when she seemed so internally stressed. She draped Piper's coat over her shoulders, and semi-supported her weight as they walked the three blocks towards Alex's apartment. Piper christened the garbage can on each corner along the way, the rancid smell of tequila mixed with pork chops, caused her stomach to churn and continue to find more for her to purge. Humiliated between the projectile vomiting at the Stonewall, which she was now pretty positive she'd be banned from re-entering since she ran instead of assisting with the clean up, and the fact that Alex had witnessed it as well as the repeat performance the whole way home, she wanted to lift the nearest sewer cap and descend into the literal bowels of the city.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Alex got Piper into the bathroom and helped lift her dress over her head, before the blonde slides down the side of the wall, and lays against the cool tile. It wasn't long before she heaved again, Alex held her hair away from her face and rubbed her back. "I'll be right back Pipes," she turned the water on in the tub and walked out toward the kitchen. She made a cup of ginger tea,

something her mother always made her whenever she had an upset stomach, and headed back to the bathroom. Piper's arms were slung over the edge of the tub, her face pressed against the white porcelain. Alex helped remove the rest of her clothes, placed a capful of lavender bath oil into the water and helped lower Piper into the tub, while she took a seat on the edge.

"You're pitiful, you know that?" She wasn't serious, she just wanted to get a reaction other than disgust on the blonde's face. Piper scooted over and laid her head on Alex's thigh. Alex stroked her head, really not liking the sight of Piper feeling so ill.

"Alex?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I ask you something?," she asks with a mild slur. "Shoot."

"Since we've met, have you...been with anyone else?." She felt the brunette's hand momentarily pause, "it's ok if you have, I was just wondering. I...I hadn't thought about it until Polly asked about what we were doing exactly and she commented on the amount of time we spend together, the... exclusivity of whatever it is we have. I've had no urge to venture out and play the field, but we never got around to ever talking about it, and now I can't stop thinking about it."

Alex smirked while she cupped her hand, and repeatedly dunked it into the water and started wetting Piper's hair. "No Pipes. I haven't either." Her hand rests on the blonde's head for a moment, before continuing, "when I went abroad for those few months, I'm pretty sure that's the longest I've gone with no intimate contact whatsoever," her eyes looked back into her brain trying to recall any longer lengths of abstinence. "But like you said I hadn't ever thought much about it because I...I...thought about you so often?," she said while tilting her head up, hiding her slight blush. "Whatever we were doing day to day – I was just enjoying you," she admitted to herself and the blonde. "Guess there's just been some sort of unspoken understanding."

Alex reached over for the mug of tea and handed it to Piper, the blonde's head lifted some, as her arms reached out to receive it with both hands, still keeping her chin rested upon Alex's leg. Alex massaged the back of her neck while she took the tea in small sips reproducing the motion until most of it was gone. The inside of her body felt warmer than the bathwater so she let some water out down the drain and turned on the hot water knob. She leaned her torso over the tub and opened the cabinet under sink seeking the large bottle of mouth wash.

"This night was perfect," she filled her mouth with mouthwash, swished it around and spit into the sink, "I'm sorry I screwed it up." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sank back into the tub.

"You did nothing of the sort, you had me cracking up," she said thinking about Piper's karaoke, "and you're not half bad at carrying a tune. I'm sorry you're feeling so bad, but this will be a great story to tell one day."

"Yeah," she chuckled and took another sip, "thanks for the tea," she said raising the mug.

"Don't mention it," she said while continuing to caress and rub the blonde's neck, "I kind of like taking care of you, even if you are a little pain in the ass."

"Hmmph," Piper panted and sighed, "I'm already feeling a little better."

Alex managed a small smile, "my mom used to make ginger tea for me when I'd sneak too many

candies or got a stomach bug. The stuff in there is natural, I got the secret ingredients last time I was in China. It's more potent but it works fast."

Piper rubbed her face against Alex's thigh and silently breathed in the woman's soothing scent. They sat in silence for a while, Alex noticed the blonde was thinking hard.

Piper broke the silence, "I like taking care of you too," she acknowledged. "I can't say I'm not worried that it's too soon to move in here with you though. It scares me, the brevity of our time, there's so much we don't know about each other. What if in a month or so there's something about me that's completely unlivable and you force me out? What if I figure out what I want to do with my life and it involves me moving half way around the world? Are we moving in because it's easier or because we're ready to take it to the next level? We never talked about anything long term until today and now..."

"Piper! You have to stop doing that. You go on this long winded tangent, overanalyzing everything. If you're going to second guess everything in your life then this is never going to work, and I will not contribute to you having a coronary before you hit 25. I don't plan out my personal life. Every detail of my work is planned to perfection, and don't get me wrong I love having control over everything that happens in my work life but I go out of my way to make sure that my personal life is guided by fate. Just live."

Piper bit down on her bottom lip, so tempted to bring up another stream of what if's, but she swallowed hard and let it go.

"What do you want to know? You can ask me anything- always. I want you to know the answers to whatever crosses your mind, I don't want you to hold back on taking a leap of faith because you're afraid of the consequence." Alex thought to a time where she was casually dating several people and her mother told her that she would lose more by holding back then she would if she just let go and gave herself to someone. But what did her mother know? She chose to invest herself in one bad relationship after another, and how could she have nothing to lose if she gave everything she had to one person, what if they left? Wouldn't she be left with nothing? She shook the thought from her mind.

Piper thought for a while. There were so many things she wondered about over this past year, but they were always at the wrong moment and she didn't want to pry.

"Where do your parents live? Do you see them often?"

"My mom still lives upstate, I bought her a house last year, told her she could live wherever she wanted in the world and she said she wanted to stay where she was, and continue to work at that same freaking Friendly's that robbed me of so much of her time growing up. Her sister lives out there too, she enjoys her company, the simplicity of the little town. I never really got it, but I guess there's no reason to live somewhere aesthetically pleasing if you don't have anyone to share it with right?"

Piper looked up at Alex as Alex looked down and met her eyes.

Reason# 92,000 why you should've moved in last week.

"I don't see her very much, but I talk to her a few times a week, mostly catching up, BSing."

"Mmmhmmm. And your dad?"

Alex tensed. Had she never mentioned either of them before? It was rare that she let her guard down and discussed personal matters, but she never felt the need to hold back from Piper. The

subject of her parents had simply never come up, but now that Piper was inquiring about the supplier of her second x chromosome, she was feeling uneasy, regretting that she made this an open forum.

"I'd really rather not talk about him Piper."

"Hey now that's not fair, you just told me I could ask you anything!"

Alex felt her face flush, she couldn't control what she felt when it came to talking about the person who used her mother and left them struggling their entire lives. "Have you ever dreamt about something for so long and fantasized about what it would be like, epitomizing so many details, just to have it destroyed?"

Piper waited for her to continue. But Alex never did. She stared at Piper waiting for her answer.

"Oh, you're actually asking me," she stated, not questioning. "Well I guess having sex for the first time. I dated this guy for a year in high school, we fooled around for a while but didn't actually go all the way until we were coming up on the year, and I remember thinking it would be romantic and sensual. But instead, it was so uncomfortable, and he got off in minutes. I was left feeling raw and sticky and I just wanted him out of my bedroom as fast as it was over. It wasn't only disappointing but unsettling. Though I'm guessing your experience isn't really comparable."

The brunette shrugs her shoulders, "my 'dad' left my mom before I was even born. He's this junky ex-rocker; I tracked him down a few years ago, caught his show in the basement of this old club and even then," she paused, "I was so excited just to see him-performing, knowing that I was finally going to have a conversation with him, potentially be able to build this relationship that I had missed out on for all of these years."

She has Piper's full, undivided attention.

"So I go backstage, and the first thing he does is hit on me."

Piper's eyebrows furrow as her head shakes sorrowfully as Alex recounts this evening of her life.

"He was so out of his mind, and I just felt violated. Everything I had imagined went up in flames, just burnt to pieces, ashes spinning erratically. Anyways, I felt my stomach churn and my eyes started to water, so I hid in the bathroom and tried to control myself, but I just wanted to run home, collapse into my mother's arms and cry." The brunette's eyes dart everywhere other then the alignment of Piper's eyes. She exhales, irritatedly, "I just felt so rejected, abandoned all over again," she sighed, "I was about to leave when this man who had been hanging back in the corner of their dressing room approached me. Fahri, he's the one who introduced me to the cartel."

Piper's heart ached, immediately regretting causing the pain she saw in Alex's eyes. She wanted to crash onto Alex's back, wrap her arms and legs around her strongly, inhale her comforting scent, and tell her that she loved her. She head over heels, deep in the bottom of her soul, fireworks shooting out of her eyes loved her. She was overcome with sensuality for this woman, craved her. But instead of breaking out into the chorus of Celine Dion's 'Declaration of Love,' she kissed her knee gently, squeezed her thigh and changed the subject.

"Do you ever think about what else you would've done if you weren't involved in," she pauses and continues in a British accent, "importing?"

Alex purses her lips, and shakes her head. "Didn't have the dough to pay for college, though if I had applied for some scholarships I probably could've made it work. I was looking for an easy way up in the world you know? It's kind of discouraging watching your mom work her ass off at

four different jobs and still getting us nowhere."

"But it did, didn't it?," Piper replied innocently. "She provided for you, made sure you were a safe and happy child, she made sure you finished high school."

"I was never happy Piper. I hated school, everything about it, the structure, the people, ugh I hated those stuck up bitches so much. We barely made ends meet. I spent so much time alone at home, just breathing in my dark bedroom, feeling guilty about putting the lights or the t.v. on, contributing to the Con Edison bill. I just didn't want to take a job where the work I was putting in, wasn't turning out a profit two fold, you get me?"

Piper slowly nodded. She was appreciative of all that Alex was willing to share with her, but didn't ever want to cause her pain bringing up her past again. She'd listen graciously, linger on every word the brunette revealed but only if she initiated the conversation of her past. Still intrigued though, she continued with the third degree.

"Do you think you'll do this forever?"

Alex silently stared into the space next to Piper's face. She'd never felt compelled to continue to date one person, never let her guard down the way she felt she could with Piper. It's not only that she was willing to talk to this woman, but that the blonde wanted, needed, hungered to know more about her in the same way that she felt the need to divulge, exposing herself to her.

She had been so good at moving her way up in the ring that she hadn't given much thought to an ordinary profession. Of course there was always the possibility that she let the rope go and it would all come crumbling down, but the power lied within her hands, only she was in control of her life and she wouldn't let that happen.

"I'm not really sure," she'd accepted this realization having never been asked before. "I've always liked discussing art, maybe I could've tried being a critic or even a curator? I used to be decent at science like physics and math, I appreciate detailed architecture, I could've looked into being an architect? I like taking things apart and reconstructing, working with my hands." She shrugged her shoulders, unimpressed with her discoveries.

"Yeah you are good with your hands," Piper desperately wanted to see her smile, "and you'd look hot in a hard hat," but Alex could only force a smirk. She loved the lifestyle that, organizing the importation of heroin, provided her; she loved calling the shots, having people view her as a knower of all things worthy. Besides, she was fucking great at it.

"Look," Piper felt Alex's thigh tense underneath her chin so she lifted her head, "I really love what I do, and I'm good at it. The high from the adrenaline pumping through your body when you see a plan that you authorized play out," she balled her hands into fists and exhaled satisfied as her eyes got lost in her own memory.

Piper admired her enthusiasm even if it was for something that made her skin crawl and made her worry. After a few minutes, she grounded herself and asked, "one day you might have to give up the control, and then what?"

Alex leaned her forehead against Piper's, looked deep into her eyes and said, "I won't," with a smirk, "are you done with your fucking interrogation?," and without giving Piper a chance to reply she walked out of the bathroom.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Piper stared into the space, where Alex had just stood, with loving eyes. She'd allowed all of these months to pass by, having never inquired about the brunette's past. It had fundamentally restricted her knowledge of her current mate's life, but now given the opportunity, she didn't want to ever stop knowing everything there was to know about Alex Vause. She stood up and waited for the suds to slide off her body before reaching for a towel to pat herself dry. With the alcohol still in her system, but the nausea subsiding, she thought it was safe enough to brush her teeth without re-awakening her ever incompetent gag reflex. Piper walked out of the bathroom and down the hall, leaving a trail of foggy footprints on the wooden floor. She spots Alex in the kitchen, who's mid-sip of water, pads over and presses her towel wrapped body against the brunette.

"See? I feel so close to you now," she says with an exaggerated smile. Alex sets down her glass of water, and boosts the blonde onto the kitchen island. She dips her head near Piper's breast and with a tiny ice cube on her tongue, licks her nipple. Piper screeches, her nipple now erect and hard, and swats Alex on the ass. Alex tries to dart the movement, but feels a light spank just before she continues at a quick pace, back towards the bedroom. Piper tackles her to the bed, straddling the brunette's hips as she plants a kiss on Alex's lips. Alex wraps her arms around the blonde, and flips her onto her back, positioning herself on top.

Piper reaches around Alex's neck and starts to unzip her dress. In slow motion, Alex lifts her dress up over her head and tosses it to the side of the bed.

"Alex?"

The brunette's eyes slowly trace the contours of the body below her, before acknowledging the blonde with a subtle raise of her brow.

"Is there anything that you've ever fantasized about that you haven't done?," she asks still slightly drunk. She snakes her leg in between Alex's, while slowly adjusting herself to the side. Her leg anchor's the brunette, who smirks amusedly at the blonde's confidence, and pulls her lips into her own and kisses her slowly.

"Sure," she responds with a charmed grin.

It takes a moment for Piper to realize that that's all that she was getting. She pulls the brunette tighter between the confines of her legs. Her index finger softly traces the curvature that lines the brunette's face until it stops at her bottom lip. "Like what?," she asks at a sultry whisper.

The brunette tries to lean up and adjust so that she's not pinned into place, but with the attempt of the slight movement, the blonde quickly hurls her arm over the brunette's torso, holding her in place.

Initially startled by the force, Alex's eyes go wide. She's entertained by the rise in the blonde's eyebrows, urging her to respond with something specific. Right. Now.

"Well, as you know...," the brunette bites her lip and cocks her head to the side, "I kind of get a kick out of doing things in public places. There's plenty," the blonde interrupts her with a ravenous kiss, unable to suppress her desire at the mere memory of one of their previous sexual encounters in a public bathroom. As her lips are released, the brunette continues, "of places that I haven't gotten around to." She pointedly smiles at the blonde, "yet," she warns. "You?"

"Well...until your vast collection, I didn't know I had a black lingerie fetish," she mutters slightly embarrassed and hides her face with another peck to the brunette's lips, "nor did I have an appreciation for a good 69." She catches the prideful smirk across her lover's mouth. She places an open palm over the pale flesh of the brunette's face to mask it. "But something new? I'd want to have my way with you."

An inquisitive dark eyebrow raises beneath the blonde's hand, she lifts it away from Alex's face to view the full on intrigued expression. She positions herself more comfortably on top of the brunette, her knees now rest beside the more experienced woman's hips. Shes removes the brunette's bra, while she continues her confession, "you...," she closes her eyes, "arouse me...," she reopens them, "in ways I wasn't aware were even possible."

Before she says something smart, Alex purses her lips into a loose knot, for she could say the same about the blonde. She silently caresses Piper's face, as she notices the blonde slowly leaning her weight against her arms. Her slender chest hovers over her face, it calls out to her, but instead of prying free to occupy her hands in the way she wanted most, she figures she'll let her linger this way for a moment or two, for she enjoyed the view. Moments later Alex frees from the restriction and palms her breasts, gently squeezing and massaging them upward. Piper leans forward while gently removing Alex's hands and whispers, "no touching." Alex lowers her hands to her sides obediently, while Piper sucks on the space below her ear, making her lift her hips forward seeking contact. Piper moves her knee against Alex's center teasingly, causing the brunette to gently rock herself against the blonde's skin. Not nearly close enough, she grabs Piper's hips and pulls her body closer, firmly against her own. Piper grabs Alex's wrists more forcefully now and pins them over her head, putting her full weight behind the motion. Piper's eyes go wide as she sucks in her lower lip and stares down the woman beneath her, while they both become aware of their heavy breathing. She rummages through the drawer of Alex's nightstand in search of the silky red scarves the brunette once tried to use to bind her wrists during foreplay. After knotting one scarf behind the right bedpost, she places a hand on the brunette's sternum; Alex's heart was racing, but she appeared amused and let her continue. She slips Alex's left wrist into a loop and tightens the slack before tieing the second scarf on the opposite post and squeezed her right wrist onto the other side. Piper gave her a wink and kept her eye contact trying to gauge the brunette's approval, as she hadn't put up a fight. She knew the brunette wasn't used to being submissive but felt that they reached a new level of trust that evening.

Piper plucked the taut silk around Alex's wrists and slowly whispered, "this is because you can't control yourself." Alex stifled a laugh and moaned, settling her hips into the bed, completely turned on. Piper kneeled between her legs, and started lightly stroking the brunette's legs from the base of her ankles,, up to her milky white thighs. Her thumb skirted the bound woman's inner thigh, before her lips followed, nibbling gently at first before sucking the skin just hard enough to leave an imprint. She pulls Alex's black lacy boyshorts to the side, dragging her fingernails along her thigh and exhales her hot breath inches from her center. Piper's hand hovers over the small line of dark hair, barely touching the glistening wetness below it, just visible by the light from the window. Her hands move across the brunette's lower abdomen and sweep up the skin of her torso, and onto her breasts. She follows the trail with her mouth and worries a nipple between her teeth. She sucks it hard, while kneading the other, before bringing her mouth to the brunette's lips. She kisses her slowly, then sucks on her tongue roughly, pulling the brunette's tongue into her mouth. She runs her hand through the silky raven hair, she balls it into her fist and tugs at it slightly. She releases it and moves her hand between their torsos and cups the other womans' sex firmly. The brunette exhales, relieved to finally receive attention at the space that aches between her thighs.

"Say you're mine," the blonde demands. At the silence, she pulls the brunette's panties up causing the material to tense between her folds. Alex feels her juices soaking through her underwear and breathes what she's held in until now, "I want to feel you."

Piper tugs more firmly against the fabric, "say it."

Alex pants hard, and wiggles her hips trying to cause friction against the fabric.

Piper moves her panties down slightly noting the brunette's movement, and caresses the sensitive skin that she just caused. She hears an unbearable moan escape Alex's lips.

"Fucking say it," she demands more urgently this time, the brunette's sounds tempt her to succumb, but she resists.

"Shit Piper, I'm yours," she moans. "Inside," she panted, "now...please."

"Don't you dare beg me. Shut up."

This was maddening, the demand that she just get straight to the point; she had only just started. Piper strokes Alex's pussy once, causing the woman, whose movements were limited, to roll her hips forward again seeking Piper's hand. Piper was so used to Alex being in charge and was aware of how much Alex was relenting by letting her do this to her; she wanted to make it worth her while. She brought her finger to Alex's opening, circled it a few times and dipped it in just slightly, before removing it. Alex made the move to keep Piper's hand there with her own hand, when she pulled against the material that bound her wrists. "Fuck, Piper!" Her pussy was aching to be entered, and she was growing more impatient with Piper's teasing. Piper gently lifted her breast and let it go making it bounce. She laid atop Alex, her mouth close to her ear and whispered, "tell me how much you need me."

"Fucking Christ Piper, I need you inside me, for fuck's sake," the brunette breathlessly panted rubbing her thighs together.

Piper hooks her toe on Alex's panties and pushes them down the remainder of her leg. She kissed a trail down to her sex before she wraps her arms around her thighs and buries her face into Alex's soaking wet cunt. She licks ferociously until Alex, whose eyes are shut tight, pants and moans, telling her she's at the edge. When she feels Piper stop, she bites her trembling lower lip and opens her eyes. Piper looks at the palm of her own hand, and eyes her fingers curiously.

"Wha...," the brunette exhales, barely able to utter a sound, "are you fucking serious?" "What?," Piper asks her innocently, "what did you want me to do again?"

"Fuck me!," Alex moans, almost pathetically.

With that, Piper expertly thrusts her fingers into Alex's center pushing in deeply over and over until Alex wraps her legs around the small of her back and screams out one of the most beautifully sexy sounds Piper has ever heard. She lays atop Alex's sweaty torso, completely satisfied with her work and helps free Alex's wrists. Alex wraps her arms around her, her hands wandering all over Piper's back and through her hair. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Piper squints her eyes, looks into her lover naughtily and says, "see what can happen if you lose control?" She pushes off the bed, walks into the bathroom and closes the door. Alex lays there still waiting for her heart to stop pounding against her sternum, and tries to think if she's ever felt such release-desire-terror and longing, all simultaneously tumbling cyclonic. She was assuredly, absolutely, beyond a doubt in love with Piper Chapman.


	6. Chapter 6

6

Piper gently shut the bathroom door, stared into the mirror and mouthed to her own reflection "who are you?" Alex did something to her, that she'd never experienced before. Brought out feelings that she didn't know existed, craved her in ways she'd read about in dirty novels. She brought both of her hands to her face and squeezed. She couldn't believe she just put herself out there, taken this risk, but she couldn't help the smile that sneaked across her face. Catching her reflection she bowed her head in thought, before Alex, sex had always been ordinary, but even with Alex it was she who made it extraordinary, Piper always felt like she just followed her lead. That night, she took a leap, she wanted to show Alex what she was capable of and she was shocked that Alex actually let her. Alex told her she didn't like to control her personal life but Piper believed she meant that she thrived off of life's spontaneity not that she didn't like to be in charge of her day to day experiences. Piper had totally dangled her dominance in Alex's face with her "losing control" comment, genuinely afraid of what would happen if Alex ever lost control in the illegal line of work she was involved in. She gripped the side of the sink, turned on the cold water and splashed her face twice. She patted her skin dry and stepped back into the bedroom. Alex lay in the bed, half awake, smiling, and she crawled into the space opened by the sheet the brunette pulled back. She conformed her body to the brunette's and traced lines along her long arms. After about an hour, Alex woke up to the feeling of Piper's soft caress.

Piper's arm had pins and needles throughout from the amount of time she spent in the repetitive motion. She had gotten lost studying the space between the brunette's scapulae, the skin was soft, slight muscles visible between the blades, the smallest lone freckle beside her salt shaker tattoo, "for luck" she'd told her once before.

"Why are you still awake kid? Y'alright?," she asked groggily.

Piper couldn't sleep, she didn't want to. How could she trust her eyelids to close out her world

when it was so wonderful and know that she wouldn't miss something phenomenal?

"Fine, fine, just lying here." Alex turned over and pulled her closer, her forehead so close to her own, her eyes crossed at the proximity. Piper inhaled her scent, the leftover white musk with the lingering smell of sex, and fell asleep in her arms.

She woke up the next morning with a sense of calm. She scooted her bottom back seeking Alex's warmth but was met with cool air. She turned over and found a note on the pillow.

Went for bagels, back in 10.

-A

Piper lightly stroked the pillow that still dipped where Alex had recently lain and moved her face against it. She fell back asleep, but was awoken by the crinkling of a paper bag. Alex stood in the doorway a bagel swinging around her pointer finger. "I was only gone a minute kid, quit spooning my pillow."

Piper smiled back, "mmmbagels"

"You prefer this hole or mine?," Alex asked looking at her hand.

"Definitely yours."

Piper met Alex in the kitchen, crouched down under the counter and placed the toaster on the counter. She placed her bagel in, and it wasn't until the toaster started smoking and Alex very casually asked her if she should call the fire department, did she realize it never popped the bageL back up. She started frantically waving the dish towel around the toaster but her hand was a tad too spastic knocking the toaster off of the counter onto the floor, cracking the side off the base's spring, with the burnt bagel still inside.

Piper used a knife to pry her crispy bagel out of the toaster. She scraped off the burnt and buttered it as if this was a normal occurrence. She left her bagel on the counter, went into the hall closet and pulled out the glue gun amongst other junk she'd lugged to Alex's apartment.

"What are you doing?," Alex looked on amusingly.

"I'm gonna fix this freaking toaster." She waited for the glue to warm and then attached the side of the toaster to its base, grabbed the rest of her burnt bagel and plopped onto the couch, causing a few sesame seeds to fall onto the leather beside her. Alex looked at her over the top of her glasses and Piper pressed the seeds down making them stick to her finger tips and sprinkled them onto the table laughing, "tada."

"Don't eat that." Alex grabbed the burnt bagel from Piper's hand and gave her one of her halves minus the piece she had previously bitten off.

They talked over breakfast and Alex let her know that she had to go out of town for a week, "business." Piper initially felt disappointed but decided she'd use the time going back and forth getting the rest of her things in order to keep busy. Alex said she didn't mind if Polly stayed over, "it's your place too now, you've never had to ask for permission for anything, please don't start now." Piper was a little subdued until she heard a clank of the toaster's metal on the counter, her masterpiece had already failed. They both chuckled, Piper started to clean up the trail of burnt crusts and seeds she'd created while Alex was in and out of all the rooms on calls that Piper was more than happy to steer clear of.

The following week came and the apartment felt eerily desolate without Alex's constant satirical quips. She left her car keys so that Piper could make the transition of moving her stuff easier, but Piper feared she'd damage the other woman's car and opted for a multitude of subway rides with Polly and one cab ride for a few larger items. She left her dresser behind, not needing it, for Alex had ample closet space. They exchanged text messages throughout the day, preferring typed conversation to the static reception that accompanied a phone call.

Polly grabbed a knife from the kitchen to slice through the thick tape holding the cardboard flaps of the boxes Piper's life was packed into. Polly gazed over the wall of bookshelves Alex had in her living room, "so do you guys like nerd out over Faulkner, Nietzsche and Hemingway?"

Piper hip-checked Polly, "sometimes."

"Do you think she's actually read everything on here?," Polly asked pointing to the shelf with her thumb.

"I don't know about all of them but most of them, she has a lot of airtime to catch up on reading."

"Still don't want to tell me what she does?"

Piper looks away, and continues to unpack some of her own books, mainly plays, and American literature.

"Fine don't tell me, I know it isn't kosher, like some sketchy trading on Wall Street or something." Piper shrugs her shoulders. She didn't like keeping things from Polly, but she could be judgmental and pretentious and she didn't want to add to the agida, that she'd managed to cork in the wine bottle of her esophagus.

They spent the rest of the day unpacking, and watching trashy television. Polly was about to leave when Piper asked if she would stay one more night. She'd spent a few nights alone here and there when Alex traveled, but she was feeling more alone than normal. Despite most of her belongings being dispersed among Alex's, the space still didn't completely feel like home. Perhaps it was Alex's absence that made it feel cold; it always felt cozy despite its expanse when Alex was floating about. Polly stayed the night and Piper spent another day settling her things about the apartment. The night returned and her insides were overcome with the unpleasant emotion of isolation. She missed Alex. She laid on the couch, cozied up with a blanket and fell asleep with a book on her chest.

In the middle of the night, she awoke to Alex's fingers stroking her hair and lightly dancing along her face. She opened her eyes, the room was barely lit by the reading lamp she had been using earlier in the night.

"You're here?," she touched Alex's face.

Alex was used to coming home to a dark empty apartment. Her body warmed at the site of Piper barely awake, in their apartment, waiting. "I took an earlier flight in. Why are you sleeping out here on the couch?"

Piper scooted her back into the couch, lifting the blanket so Alex could climb in. "Just let me go change my clothes Pipes and we can go to bed."

"No, please just come be with me. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too kid." Alex slid off her boots and climbed under the blanket next to Piper, the chill of her skin made Piper jump. Piper wrapped her arm around the taller woman and pulled her in close. Though she had barely left the apartment all week, she just in that moment felt that she was home.

* * *

"Ok ma... I'm not sure yet...of course...yeah just come here...nope, nowhere that week...alright, YES mom I am!...ok, see you then, love you."

Piper heard Alex's end of her conversation with her mother through the wall of the bedroom. Alex always called her mom when she returned from traveling. She didn't know if her mother knew what she did, and she didn't want to ask causing Alex to have that sadness in her eyes again.

Piper smiled and wrapped her arms around Alex's shoulders, and kissed her long and hard. She stroked the skin around her necklace, "how's your mom doing?"

"She's fine, just asking about the holidays. Are you going to your parents' for Christmas?"

"Yeah, we always have something at their house. Nothing religious, it's just a fancier family dinner. Your mom is coming here?"

"Mmmhmm, I'm not really into it, but I'll have anything here if it means she'll take a few days off and I get to see her. My aunt, uncle and cousins will come for Christmas day to eat and fuck around but then she usually just hangs out with me for an extra day so we can catch up. It makes more sense for me to go up there but they like the city during this time of year.

As December 24th arrived, Piper packed a small duffel bag to get her through three and a half days of family togetherness. Alex watched her pack her final "last minute" items as Piper bent down underneath her side of the bed. She pulled out an eccentrically wrapped present and handed it over to Alex, "Merry Christmas, don't open it until tomorrow okay?"

Alex had almost forgotten the present she had gotten for Piper. She walked into her closet, turned the light on, reached under a pile of sweaters and pulled out a small box with a little red bow on the top. "I don't know how to wrap things all fancy pants, sorry," she looked down and held the box out towards Piper in the palm of her hand. Piper hugged her tightly, and walked down the hall and out the door. It would only be a few days Alex thought to herself and she still had some last minute things to clean and get at the store before her family arrived that night.

Her family parked their large car on the street downstairs and made their way up. Her place was filled with commentary like "you look great! What new adventures have you gone on now? Anyone new in your life?" She didn't want to get into details, so she answered just enough to keep their questions at bay. They exchanged presents at midnight and settled in for the night. Her cousins slept on the couches, her aunt and uncle took the spare bedroom and her mom shared her bed.

She lay bedside her mom in bed. "So did Piper make it to her parents' house ok?"

"Yeah she called me earlier, her family is pretty big, it was kind of loud, we didn't talk for long. She said she'd try to call in the morning before everyone woke up."

"Good. Well, Merry Christmas baby."

Alex woke up to her Fine Young Cannibals ringtone 'She Drives Me Crazy' and answered her phone. "6 AM, Christ Piper, every day without fail."

Piper chuckled, "sorry, I was up. Did you sleep okay?"

"Shut up, I feel like I just went to sleep."

"Did you open your present?"

"No, I was waiting for this morning of which I've only been conscious for about 20 seconds." "I already opened yours, it's nice, I'm wearing it, but what's with all of the numbers?"

Alex had been walking down a street when she saw a stand where a woman sold necklaces that you could place coordinates on. Alex sat with the woman and looked up "the coordinates of the bar we met at almost a year ago. I know it's a little cheesy but..."

"Oh my God, I love it. It's perfect," her voice raised with excitement. Alex's heart warmed imagining Piper's smile.

The brunette got up and walked with her present over to her window. She tore the paper away and unwrapped the bubble wrap around her gift. It was a hand-painted vase, Piper's initials were painted at the very bottom with the tiniest little heart. Inside the vase was a cream colored knitted hat. "Did you make this?"

"Yeah I went to this place where you could paint your own stuff, and you needed the vase so there you go. And I didn't really remember how to knit, my grandma taught me a long time ago. I just followed the pattern on the net so the hat isn't exactly perfect but you needed a hat too and I thought the color would look nice against your hair."

"You made the hat too?," Alex asked while she stroked the soft fabric of the hat. "Piper they both look great, aren't you just so dedicated?" She took a long pause. "I love them, thank you." She put the hat on her head and adjusted it in the reflection in the window."Call me later ok? Even if it's just for a minute. I want to hear about your day of survival."

Piper said she would and hung up shortly after. Alex turned around and climbed back into bed. "Nice hat, she knits?"

Startled by her mothers' voice, she didn't know she was awake, she pulled the hat off her head and sank lower under the covers. "She said she learned how to, in order to make me the hat," she said embarrassingly, knowing how much devotion this girl was oozing in order to make her something when she could've just purchased it.

"Sounds like you girls are gettin close. You really do look great by the way, you look all happy." Alex just shrugged, but she held the hat in her hand underneath the covers and fondled it. "You've been walkin around hea like you've got a hanga stuck in ya mouth. Do you love her?" Alex widened her eyes, "Mom, please."

"Well ya livin' togetha aren't you?"

Alex squinted her eyebrows at her mother, but couldn't help but smile a little. She thought she'd put away all the things that gave away that Piper was living there to avoid further scrutiny from her nosy family. Her mother still knew. She dropped the questions though and they made small talk. They got up for the day, finished cooking and had Christmas dinner together. Alex excused herself from the conversation to pick up her ringing cell.

"God I miss you Alex, they're driving me crazy! So many damn questions, asking me where I'm going to live now that Pete and Polly are engaged, what am I doing with my life, I don't have a career, the whole nine yards. Can't I just fucking live my life?"

Alex snickered, "Oh man kid, just 1 more day and you're out of there. Uh, so my mom somehow knows you live here with me."

"Shit, how? What did she say? She probably thinks I'm a mooch."

"No idea kid, she just does. I swear I put away your stuff cause I was trying to avoid the same line of questioning from my family. I mean I don't mind if she knows, she's great. I'm surprised she hasn't asked me a thousand and one questions, probably just waiting til the piranhas leave tomorrow morning."

"Alright, my brother is calling me back, I gotta go. Tell your mom I say hi."

Alex walked back into the living area, her mom caught her eye when she walked back in and winked. Alex just rolled her eyes, fighting her smile.

It was well into the night when everyone, one by one, started dozing off and eventually went off to bed. Alex woke up around 10 a.m. to the smell of what seemed like an elaborate breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and low and behold, coffee, fresh fruit, bacon, eggs, pancakes, enough to feed a family of ten, were lined up all along her island.

"Ma, when you're here can you please just relax and enjoy yourself? Don't cook gigantic ass breakfasts, pick up or re-organize my already very organized bookshelf or do my laundry."

The rest of her family was still asleep. Her mom pointed to the coffee pot and said "this needs Bailey's," and without skipping a beat, wiped her hands on a dishtowel and walked back toward Alex's bedroom saying how "it's just breakfast, and I'm not futzing with anything in your apartment." Alex followed behind her laughing.

Alex sat at the edge of her bed, while her mom stuck her head in her closet. "Mom, how did you know Piper moved in? I mean she only just really moved in 2 weeks ago, I was going to tell you but it was so recent and everything kind of happened so fast."

"Oh, you know, little things, like I sure as shit know this pink thong isn't yours" she lifted the freshly washed undergarment in the air. Alex's mouth dropped. "Ok, I did your wash, I couldn't help it, let me be ya motha, okay?" Alex laughed and snatched Piper's underwear from her mothers' hand.

"And fast? You've been seeing each other for a year already haven't you? I was already pregnant by the time I knew your father for a year."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "Are you trying to tell me something? Should I have a kid with her by now? Because that's not exactly happening. Do you want me to jump all over someone as soon as I meet them?"

Her mother shook her head, "no baby, I'm just sayin if you have a connection with this girl, then don't worry about time, just do what feels right, when it feels right."

Alex wrinkled her mouth and nodded. After enough silence, and she had folded all of her daughter's clothes, Alex's mother interrupted the quiet,

"So, do I get to meet her?"

Alex turned her head slightly to the side, skeptical, "uh, like when?"

"Uh, like now?," she said mocking her daughter, "isn't she coming back tomorrow?"

"Yyyes, but it might be kind of soon, I mean meeting the parents is sort of a big step, isn't it? I'm definitely not ready to meet her family."

"I think I should get to meet the girl who makes my kid smile all goofily like that," she points to her daughter and taps her head, "and sticks a home-made hat on her head while she's still in her pajamas."

Alex scooches over and lays her head in her mothers' lap, her mom swirls her hair around. "Mom she makes me crazy. She's well read and challenges the life that's expected of her, she appreciates the quality things in life but she's not a snob. But then she's also really messy and scatterbrained, and sweet all the while. I don't know what it is exactly but when we're apart, I feel like I can breathe as deep as my body allows but I can never get enough air."

"You're in love baby," she kissed the top of her daughters head, "and it's about fuckin time. C'mon lets go wake up these lazybones so we can kick 'em out and get on with our day."

Alex spent the next two days running around the city with her mother, with her cream colored hat atop her head. They walked arm in arm along the icy sidewalks en route to Central Park. Alex took her for dinner and drinks at Tavern on the Green. The following day they grabbed warm pretzels, and took a long walk down Fifth Avenue admiring the flamboyant holiday window displays of Sak's, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf's, and other high end stores. They snacked on candy covered peanuts and watched the ice skaters underneath the enormous tree in Rockefellar center.

Alex's alarm on her phone went off, reminding her that Piper's train would be pulling into Grand Central in about an hour. They had exchanged small texts here and there over the past few days and Piper seemed more than ready to come back. She let Alex know when her train would be coming primarily for safety reasons, Alex never letting on that she had every intent of meeting her in the terminal. She and her mother started heading back toward the terminal, a stomach full of butterflies taking the walk as well. Alex looked up the track schedule to see which track the train from New Haven would be pulling into.

Track 35.

They still had about 10 minutes. Alex adjusted her glasses and then shoved her hands in her pockets, she overly straightened her back, and rocked back and forth on her heels. Her mother was distracted by the sheer volume of people scurrying around to catch their trains. She stood back against the marble wall, when she noticed Alex's nervous habits. She just kept to herself and let her daughter be. Alex walked up a little closer to the tunnel when the board switched to "Arrived" and waited for Piper to ascend the ramp. She saw the perfect blonde head bobbing up and down among the other passengers, their eyes met and Piper slowed her pace shocked. She pulled Alex into a tight hug. She pulled back a little and placed her hands on both sides of Alex's face and kissed her slowly. She felt the burn behind her eyes, she was so happy to be in the brunette's arms. She opened her eyes, taking in the sight of the brunette that held her heart, "I love you," she blurted out unable to contain the feeling that overwhelmed her.

Alex stopped breathing and her face turned serious; her stomach felt like there was a 10lb ball of lead, but then she blinked a few times. Recovering, she let her body relax, "I love you too."

"You're wearing the hat," she rubbed her hand over Alex's head.

The brunette simply nodded. Alex pulled her back into a hug and said, "so... my mom is standing behind me," and snickered.

Piper's face mimicked the face Alex made 20 seconds prior, her body now hardened by a layer of self- conciousness at her sudden public display of affection. She couldn't be serious though. She shook it off and asked for clarification, "what did you say?"

She pivoted to her side, holding Piper around her waist and pointed toward her mother, "right there, that's my mom," she said through nervous laughter. Her mother gave a small wave. Piper recognized her immediately from Alex's photos and knew Alex wasn't fucking with her. Alex turned back toward Piper.

"Alex! I look and probably smell like crap."

Alex leaned toward her, sniffed her hair and said, "nope not like crap," and Piper shoved her lightly.

Alex placed her teeth together and spoke through a gritted smile, "she really wanted to meet you Pipes. She's cool, we're just going out to dinner, alright? Do not let her convince you to let her cook anything.

Piper nodded and exhaled. Alex took Piper's duffel and flung the strap over her chest. Piper walked the few feet over to Alex's mom and said "Hi Ms. Vause, it's nice to meet you."

Alex's mom scooped Piper in a huge hug looked at Alex and exclaimed, "Oh gawd, she's adorable, call me Diane."


	7. Chapter 7

7

Dinner with Diane Vause felt more natural then Piper expected and she felt ridiculous for allowing herself to be so nervous around her. If the woman judged her for just graduating from an institution that cost her over $150,000 and was now waiting tables, she hid it well. While there was some physical resemblance between the two, Piper couldn't help but notice all of the similar facial expressions and satirical banter Alex and her mother shared. The three of them took a cab back to their apartment and it took 20 minutes of arguing and insistence that her mother sleep in their bedroom and she and Piper would take the guest.

"Our bed is more comfortable, it's softer, more broken in. The guest is hardly used, please!"

"I'm the guest! That's who it's supposed to be for. The girl hasn't slept in her own bed in 3 days, for God's sakes!" Her mother finally raised both her hands in the air and retreated to Alex and Piper's bedroom.

"You think I'm persistent? That woman has the head of a bull, fought her whole life for everything. She's only backing down so she doesn't make more of a scene in front of you, I'm sure of it." Piper and Alex stripped the linens off of the bed in the guest room and draped fresh new sheets tucking the corners under the mattress. The three padded out into the living room, chatted for a while when Alex went to the kitchen to make them hot chocolate.

Diane leaned into Piper and whispered, "thank you for makin my daughter so happy. She walks around like she's this tough badass but she's really just a tall sweetheart. I haven't seen this light in her," she paused, "well, ever."

Piper crossed her arms over her chest, and brought one hand up to her mouth amused that she'd apparently been the only person to have had this affect on Alex.

Alex walked in carefully managing all three mugs and sensed that she just walked into some potentially uncomfortable conversation. "What did you say to her?" she asked worriedly seeing Piper's hand over her mouth, masking the grin she couldn't see. "I walked away for 2 minutes," she placed the mugs down on the coffee table.

Diane turned her neck toward her daughter, "why don't you mind your business? Where's the marshmallows?"

Piper's grin now spread passed her mouth and she let out a laugh. Alex let her abdominal muscles relax and she got up to search for some marshmallows. She came back and handed her mother the bag with two outstretched arms, half bowing, "your majesty." Her mother took the bag and playfully whacked her over the head with the bag, "punk." The three finished vegging out and went off to their respective bedrooms.

"What did my mom say to you?," she leaned into Piper resting her weight on both of her hands. "Why don't you mind your business?" she shoved Alex and hit the light.

Morning came and after Diane's insistence, they brought her to the train station instead of taking the long car ride back upstate. Piper and Alex got back home and exchanged the finer details of their time apart. They talked about New Year's Eve, toyed with the idea of going out to celebrate at various parties but opted to stay in and bring in the New Year in the comfort of their living room. They went through 3⁄4 of a bottle of champagne that Piper had purchased earlier that day. Slightly tipsy, she poured them each another glass, and remembered something else she bought. She rummaged through the plastic bag and pulled out some cardboard hats, and glasses that said 2004 on them. She placed a hat on her head, and a hat on Alex's head and fixed the elastic band under her chin. She hooked Alex's glasses into her cleavage and placed the New Year's glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Are you fucking serious?," the brunette asked not amused. Piper laughed and took a picture.

"I look like Elton John and I can't see," she removed the glasses from her face, and slipped her own back on. She tilted the hat slightly to the side of her head cockily and walked into the kitchen. She dug out a bunch of grapes from the crisper and handed 12 over to Piper.

"What are these for?," she asked.

"Your night's rations," came a snarky reply. Piper made a foolish face.

"I spent the last Año Nuevo in Spain, and they have a tradition where you eat a grape with each chime of a bell at midnight. Some say it's supposed to lead to a year of prosperity, others say it wards of evil. I was told to make 12 wishes."

"Did your wishes from last year come true?," Piper asked eyeing the grapes.

"Fuck if I remember, I was pretty messed up mixing some party favors with cava and sangria. Oh, I definitely have a bottle of cava here somewhere." Alex danced over to the many bottles of liquor displayed behind in the glass door in the nook between her kitchen and the sunken living room.

"Party favors?"

"Yeah some X at one point in the night, poppers later, shit stinks but I blacked out at the end, good stories," she sips her champagne while continuing to pull bottles, reading the labels and putting them back until she finds it, "ah ha, cava. I got this one in Barcelona, ever been?"

"No," Piper softly replied. She told Alex she'd gone on a Mediterranean cruise with her parents and Cal as a teenager to celebrate her high school graduation but Spain was not part of their itinerary. Piper was grateful that the glasses hid her eyes as her view hardened, she felt uneasy at Alex's casual admission of drug use. Alex picked up on her tension and squeezed her knee making her leg jerk, "hey, I've never done the hard stuff, watched that junk screw up too many people and I only use the others when I'm chilling with people that I trust, no worries." She caressed Piper's head.

"You've never used anything with me." Piper had smoked weed socially at parties or after long nights out with friends but never had an interest in anything else. Until now. Her eyes stayed narrowed. She questioned the enigmatic nature that radiated off of Alex's body. How could one person make her feel so safe at the same cause the disconcerting worry that she felt in the pit of her stomach?

"You've never asked. Later, if you want sometime."

"I've smoked pot before you know?" She suddenly felt it was of paramount importance to disclose that she wasn't a prude and she had some experience in the dark underworld of altered consciousness that Alex seemed to be all too comfortable with.

Alex tried to repress her chortle, the blonde was so fucking cute. She pulled her onto her lap and massaged her shoulders. "What are you going to wish for?," she asked as she kissed her neck.

Piper shifted her weight on Alex's lap and nudged her, "if I tell you it won't come true."

"Or if you tell me, maybe I'll make it come true."

"Well I guess you'll just have to see." She skimmed Alex's skin under her dress. "I'm not a patient person." She gently pawed at the elastic under Piper's chin. "Poor you."

"Yeah, poor fucking me."

They got each other off in a tension filled quickie, Piper's back was against the seat of the couch, her head half hanging off the side. Her arms were stretched over her head, her legs still wrapped around Alex's torso. She eyed the upside down bottle of cava and pulled herself upright.

"Are we going to open that?"

Alex reclined back and told her to "go ahead." Piper played with the wire caging around the top and struggled to open the bottle.

"It's broken," she looked at her hands , and slurred, "I'm broken."

"You're both beautifully perfect, hand it to me." Alex gently twisted at the cork for a while before popping it open. She inhaled the aroma released within, Piper copied and they drank straight from the bottle. Dick Clark began the count down, they each held a fistful of grapes, Piper sat on Alex's lap, "3...2...1, Happy New Year!," they shouted. They kissed just after the ball completed it's descent, and ate their grapes wishing on each one. Piper grabbed a pot and zig zagged up and down the corridor outside their apartment door hitting it with a wooden spoon. Alex stood in the hall cackling and yelling "woooo," while pumping her fist in the air as if she was quickly hitting a boxing ball. They scampered back into their apartment after 20 minutes of parading when they heard a neighbor yell a few profanities from down the hall. Alex pulled Piper against her chest and kissed her long and hard and the last thing Piper remembered was the explosion of fireworks that flickered in her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

8

Two months had passed since they brought in the new year, Alex was gone again, somewhere in Europe, she had been gone the whole week. She'd left on a Friday, promising to be back on Thursday. They were both perfectly capable of handling time apart but strongly preferred the others company. Piper would tell herself each time it would get easier the more Alex traveled but she was lying to herself, a piece of her heart, a piece of her constantly on the other side of the earth's rotation.

Piper woke up, her face stuck to the leather on the couch, the sun shone through the window, blinding her when she cracked an eye open. It took her a second to realize where she was. It was Thursday, Alex was due back late that night, the night that marked one year to the day that their paths crossed at the bar. She fell asleep to the thought that Alex would come home early again like she did the last time she went abroad but after she did a quick tour of the apartment she realized she was still alone. Alex was due back well after her shift would be over, and they planned to spend the following day celebrating their milestone. She washed up and headed out to work feeling somber but excited as she anticipated Alex's arrival. She planned on stopping at the market on the way home from work to get the ingredients she'd need to cook them a late night romantic dinner for two.

Piper was on her way out of work when one of the other waitresses handed her a silver box with a red bow, the same kind of red bow that was on her Christmas present. "What's this for?," she

asked with a confused one.

"Someone left it for you earlier". Piper thanked her and stepped outside the restaurant. She opened the box, and found a note and a plastic card. Initially she thought it was a gift card, and she couldn't make out the note so she stood under a streetlamp.

Hey gorgeous,

The Deluxe Suite, St. Regis Hotel. Can't wait to see you. Happy Anniversary! -Alex

She traced her finger over Alex's name and clutched the note to her chest. Her Alex was here. She looked at her phone, no calls, no texts, no heads up that she was coming in early. How long had she been back? Piper headed uptown towards the hotel, and it wasn't until she walked about a mile and half did she realize she could've made it in half the time if she had had the sense to get in a cab or take the subway. She was walking quickly but in a daze, her mind raced at the thought of seeing Alex, her plans of cooking them dinner flew right out the theoretical window. She walked into the extravagantly adorned lobby of the St. Regis immediately feeling out of place, still dressed from work. She headed towards the elevators, when she was stopped by the concierge who inquired if she needed any help. She showed the man her room key, he called the elevator and he pressed the button for her room. Piper stood outside the door for a few moments, Alex was once again in the process of sweeping her off her feet in this luxurious hotel for their day. She hadn't expected to see her just yet but now that she was, she stood outside feeling overwhelmed but ecstatic. She knelt on the floor, and rummaged through her purse. She looked around and thanked the all of the omnipotent beings that no one else was in the hall. She pulled out her compact, looked in her mirror and scrunched up her face. Between working an eight hour shift, and the wintery wind that blew through her hair she looked slightly disheveled. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times, put on a little blush adding to the pink of her wind burned cheeks and applied some lip gloss. "Not an outstanding improvement but you've looked worse," she thought to herself. She pressed her ear to the door but heard nothing inside. She pursed her lips and blew slowly as if she was blowing through a straw. She swiped her card and put the weight of her hand on the door handle. She stepped inside and took in the beauty and sophistication of the room; the slanted ornate mirrors, crystal chandeliers, the champagne filled glasses atop the fireplace. Piper grabbed a glass of champagne, took a sip and swore it was the best tasting champagne she'd ever had. She tilted the bottle, Dom Perignon she read, "oh Alex." Though she had grown accustomed to expensive liquors, and she still didn't mind her cheap pinots, she felt privileged to partake in all the new exposure tasting samples from Alex's journeys. She walked through the living area towards the bedroom, noticing the light on from underneath the bathroom door. "Hellooooo?" she said lightly tapping on the door mustering up all her willpower to not plow through the solid piece of wood separating them. "I'm about to spontaneously combust being on this side of the door, can I come in?"

"Just a minute babe, can you go sit on the bed?"

Piper lowered her brow but backed up slowly until the backs of her knees were against the bed and she sat down slowly, sipping her champagne.

"I can't believe you came to my job and didn't say hi," she paused, "but then again I also wasn't expecting all of this, this room, the champagne. I was planning on wining and dining you with my skills at home tonight but..."

The bathroom door creaked open, "hit the light." Piper reached an arm behind her refusing to take her eyes off the light emitted from the cracked bathroom door, she set the champagne glass down, and did as she was told.

Alex slowly stepped into the light from the bathroom, her hair was curled and pinned all the way up, a red barrette placed just to the side. The contrast of the black lacy lingerie against her porcelain skin made Pipers jaw slowly drop down, she felt her mouth start to water. The black lace hooked around the brunettes long neck, transparent fabric covered her torso, but was tastefully opaque over her breasts. She wore black laced underwear, attached to gartered tights and black heels. She stood against doorway, seduction in her eyes, radiating confidence. She pushed off the wall and slowly stepped toward her blonde, dragging each foot slowly against the carpet until she stood right in front of her.

"Holy shit," Piper breathed out while she looked up at Alex, unconsciously licking her lips and swallowed, not wanting to literally drool over the side of her mouth. "You look so...," Piper tried to hold herself together, "sexy." Piper placed her fingertips against the fabric along the other womans' hips and relaxed her palms against her flesh while pushing up her abdomen. Alex's muscles tensed and she moved Piper's hands into her lap.

Piper placed her hands on the bed and pushed to stand up but Alex just placed a hand on her shoulder forcing her to stay seated. She unbuttoned Piper's shirt at a deliberately slow pace, purposely grazing the other woman's pale flesh. With her shirt splayed open, Alex danced her fingertips over Piper's skin, teasing the bottom of her breasts under her bra. Piper went to remove her shirt, when Alex's hands stopped her, "let me." She slowly removed her shirt, and leisurely sucked on the blonde's neck while gently lowering her back onto the bed. Piper brought her feet up onto the edge of the bed feeling Alex's ass against the top of her thighs. Alex continued to linger on her neck, sending shudders down Piper's spine causing her to breathe out a moan. She felt Alex's full lips against her own, she tasted of champagne and took in the faint scent of her lovers perfume. She felt Alex's hand start to move down in between their bodies, toying with the waistband of her pants. She slid a hand inside, past the heat of her center, and raked her nails up her inner thigh. She felt the other womans' hand slip into her underwear, it was met with wet heat. She felt Alex's hand track her opening, felt a single finger slip inside and let out a moan. Her finger pressed upward toward her abdomen as if beckoning. She arched her back against the lingerie clad brunette as another finger entered her. The pressure of her hot palm on her clitoris as she rocked her hand back and forth made her ache with a need for more. Alex removed her hand and returned it to Piper's waistline. Piper panted as she watched Alex crawl backward off the bed. She went over to the dresser and pulled out a dildo with a harness. She slipped a heeled foot into one of the straps and repeated on the other side. Piper quickly unbuttoned her pants and pushed them off of her legs. Alex crawled back on top of the bed and pinched the edges of Piper's underwear. Piper clenched her teeth as her underwear was slowly, tantalizingly pulled down her legs. Her skin shivered with goose bumps. She stretched her hands over her head until her palms were flushed against the backboard of the bed as she felt the tip of the dildo push slowly into her opening. It had been so long since she had felt her insides stretch and felt this full. Alex slowly retracted and gently pushed back in. Piper bought her hands forward and grabbed onto Alex's hips guiding her pace.

Piper sucked air in through her teeth, "Oh yeah baby, just like that." Alex wrapped her hands around the blonde's waist and Piper gasped at how good it felt to be filled and have Alex's hands on her body at the same time. She felt a hand curl around her thigh and pulled it up to wrap around her lovers waist. She felt Alex's weight shift, and felt her breasts against her own. Her other leg was guided around the brunette and Piper cried out long and low with the pleasure as she was filled even deeper; she pulled Piper's head to the side and kissed at her neck as she pushed all the way in. The intense pleasure rolled from her pussy to her extremities. Her fingers stretched and her body quaked with sensation. She felt the dildo slide slowly back out, then back in again. Every muscle of her center quivered and squeezed. Piper felt every small move Alex made.

She sucked hungrily at Alex's neck. She held her hips and rocked in and out of her. "Fuck Alex, don't stop, fuck me, harder. God, yes!" Piper couldn't stop herself, she wanted Alex to consume her whole.

"I love the way you say my name. You like that? Moan for me." Alex jolted her violently with each pump, grunting as her thrusts grew deeper and deeper. She pulled out of Piper and commanded that she turn over. Piper got on her hands and knees, Alex slipped the dildo into her from behind, and placed her hands on Piper's thighs, causing their slick skin to slap against each other. She traced her hand up Piper's back, into her hair and pulled it back slightly. She couldn't take her eyes off the blonde's ass against her thighs.

"Oh my God Alex I'm so close, don't stop."

Alex reached a hand underneath Piper, found her wet clit and started rubbing. "Your body drives me fucking wild Pipes!"

Piper squealed, her knees almost giving out, Alex moved her hand from her hair and grabbed onto her hip steadying her. Piper moaned out and she pressed her ass firmly against Alex's thighs as her whole body shook with pleasure. Alex pulled away from her slowly, removed the harness and collapsed face first onto Piper's glistening back.

Alex waited for Pipers breathing to slow before she moved the blonde hair away from her neck and planted soft kisses alongside it. Piper turned over onto her back so they were face to face. She cupped Alex's jaw in her hand, kissed her and said "you're amazing. You look so fucking hot right now." Alex bit her lower lip. Piper reached down and felt Alex saturated in wetness and told her to climb on top of her "I want to see you above me while I lick you."

Alex placed her knees on the sides of Piper's face. She gripped the headboard and sank down until she could feel Piper's breath against her need. Piper delicately licked Alex, savoring her taste. "I'm so wet for you Piper, you feel so good." Her hips started rocking against Piper's tongue dipping lower seeking more friction. Piper squeezed Alex's ass pulling her lower onto her face and dug her nails into her skin. Alex moaned out and rocked faster her legs trembling. Piper sucked hard on her clit while Alex bucked against her face until Piper felt her push back and she was consumed with Alex's juices. Alex cautiously let go of the backboard, and fell between Piper's legs onto her back. She kissed the underside of Piper's knee and she heard Piper let out a small moan.

"You sound so good, I need to hear more. I want to taste you." She felt Alex adjust her position right before she felt her face bury into her cunt and lapped around her inner thighs. She moaned in ecstasy as her tongue pressed wide and firm upon her opening, flicking lightly at her clit. She sucked at the rise of her button and rolled the tip of her tongue back and forth over it. She felt the brunette hum against her.

"Alex, what are you doing to me?! That feels so fucking good!" she sighed. Piper squeezed her eager face between her thighs. Her body shivered in pleasure. "Yes. Yes! I'm going to cum again," she felt Alex's hand cover her mouth, she smelled her own scent on her lovers hand. Alex continued to suck at her cunt until she howled and bucked against her. Sweat trailed down her back and lights burst in her darkened vision as an orgasm ripped through her.

Piper pulled her up beside her, and Alex propped herself onto an elbow admiring how beautiful Piper was. Piper traced her fingers into Alex's hair and unclipped her barrette causing her hair to cascade down her shoulder in soft curls. Piper pulled Alex on top of her and buried her face into her hair. Alex whispered "happy anniversary kid!," as Piper stroked her hands across Alex's back, it was going to be a long night.


	9. Chapter 9

9

Shallow breath. She inhales and tries to get more air, but she can only manage another shallow breath. Around her ribcage, it's tight, she cannot fully expand her lungs. Her whole body is sore, a small grimace forms on her face but releases, it's a satisfying sore. Immediately bright, too bright, she squints, almost completely shutting her eyes, but then slowly re-opens them.

Dark, lots of dark, Alex's head shares her pillow, her hair splayed behind her. 12 inches is the distance that separates their faces. The brunette is sleeping deeply, her chest expands and contracts at a relaxed pace. Piper studies her face, feminine, strikingly beautiful and in this moment she notices her features are all the while placidly soft. Her shoulder rests beside her chin.

Piper barely dips her head down, careful not jostle the other woman and sees that Alex's arms are around her torso, gripping her tenaciously. She shuts her lips tight, her belly shakes as she silently laughs at the giant contradiction that is her girlfriend. Fair skin against the shadows of her raven hair; her exceptional generosity is awing and yet she is able to inconspicuously steal the innocence of the world around her; a serene face attached to the same body that has arms so tensely surrounding her that she is being forced suck in and let out her breath with caution. Her brain resonates on her last thought for a while and she opts to continue the shallow breaths in exchange for a few more uninterrupted moments of watching Alex sleep. Piper buries the obvious oppositions; she continues to stare at the woman, in this one single second, time stops, she is perfect.

Pulsing is the arm that is extended underneath the pillow, under the weight of Alex's head, it's starting to tingle. She gently wiggles her finger, making contact with something silky. She raises her head slightly, and caresses the ribbon hanging from the attire that Alex endured for her throughout the entire night. She remembers the blur of the evening a few months prior, the alcohol that gave her the courage to inquire about Alex's fantasies and in exchange revealed many of her own. She remembered Alex acting as though nothing she had exposed to her was too risqué, but couldn't help but notice that Alex was rapidly pinching at her hip when she pressed on about the lingerie, intrigued if she'd go against her inclination to dominate, and submit to Piper's desires. She caught the intimidation in her tone last night when Alex had asked her to wait by the bed, from behind the bathroom door. But she owned it-last night, was for her. The last twenty four hours would be sketched into her being for the rest of her life.

Piper's arm becomes life-less; she removes it from underneath the pillow, disturbing the other woman, wrinkling glabella, she rubs her face against her shoulder. She slowly opens her eyes and then squints, Piper isn't sure if it's because she can't see her or because she's irritated. She is certain Alex is about to growl at her, when she snaps her teeth together in a bite and then inversely breaks out into a smile. From 0 to 100- the brunette enthralls her; her smile is contagious. Piper mirrors her smile just before she buries herself into Alex's chest smitten.

"Good morning," she whispers as she peppers her with delicate kisses before calling downstairs for the butler,

"butler?!," she blonde exclaims surprised.

"He was included in the room," the brunette shrugs nonchalantly, and has a delicious breakfast delivered to their suite. The champagne bottle from the night before is empty Alex informs her as she opens a new one and makes them mimosas. Piper peals the label off the old bottle and tucks the memento away under her shirt that lays across an armchair; they lay in bed all day feeding each other. Piper asks her some questions about her work and Alex answers them all honestly. They check out of their hotel and make their way back to their apartment.

During the weeks that passed by, Alex worked on her computer during the days while Piper worked through her shifts at the restaurant. Piper was laying with her back on the love seat, pillow propped behind her head, legs strewn over the side, book in hand. She toyed with her hair between her pointer finger and her thumb, a habit that Alex adored, eyeing her from the larger couch. As she was making upcoming arrangements for her mules, an email popped up, causing her to refocus her attention, she opened the document. Indonesia. She needed to leave in two days and there was no information on when she would be able to return. She tightened her mouth, Piper looked so comfortable, happy, she didn't want to break the news that she would be leaving the blonde behind again, this time for an indefinite amount of time.

Piper finished her chapter and walked past Alex noticing that she stopped breathing.

"What's up? Why are you being weird?," she asked suspiciously recognizing the look right away. "Indonesia. I leave in two days."

"For how long this time?," Piper asked her trying desperately not to look heartbroken.

"I'm not sure Pipes. It takes days just to get there, and longer than usual because I need to make some stopovers. It could be a while though, I wish I knew a little more myself. If Fahri isn't giving me more details, it's probably pretty big, I'll be filled in a bit more once I'm there."

Piper nodded and went back to their bedroom. She pressed her hands on the wall beside their closet and steadied her breathing, she wouldn't cry. She opened the closet doors and starting pulling out their dirty laundry, she dragged the bags down the hall and left them in front of the stacked washer and dryer.

"I'll do that, don't be bothered with it, please, sit." "I need to do this, it's therapeutic for me."

She put her hand on the laundry bag that was in Piper's grip. "Piper no, I know you're upset, I wish I didn't have to go for so long, but I'll make it up to you when I get back, we'll do something..."

"ALEX! Let it GO," she snaps, "just let me do the fucking laundry okay? Let me be."

Alex withdrew her hand and stepped back from the blonde. She went back to the couch and continued working. Piper felt the heat in her cheeks burning her skin from the inside, she threw the clothes in the washer and slammed the door shut. She walked with audibly heavy footsteps into the living room and tossed the red and black book she was reading on the couch inches from where Alex sat. "Take this with you, it's a great fucking book," she yelled, "and when you come back, I'll just pick it up and fucking continue, like it hadn't been gone, like I hadn't been sitting here eager to find out what came next."

Alex said nothing, she pressed a hand to her mouth and let Piper express her feelings. Half an hour later, she heard Piper switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Not knowing what to do to ease the girl's rage, she trudges into the kitchen to cook their dinner. About half way through Piper came into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Alex's waist.

"I'm sorry, I try not to care so much, I'll never get used to you being gone from here."

"Let's not focus on me being gone, instead why don't we savor the night, hmm? Wanna help me with this?"

Piper started dicing vegetables, while Alex grated the cheese. They had a nice dinner, with subtle flirting throughout the night. Alex cleared their dishes and poured herself a glass of water. She grabbed Piper's book from off of the couch and followed the blonde who was carrying a basket of now clean laundry into their bedroom.

Piper turned on some music, lit some candles around the room and started to fold the clothes. Alex sat upright on their bed with one leg outstretched, the other comfortably bent, and opened the pages to the middle of the book and pretended to read. Latimore's "Move and Groove" played in the background and Alex looked up from her book and saw Piper swaying her hips as she folded one of her blue sarongs. The blonde glanced over her shoulder to see if Alex noticed her hips moving in waves, and their eyes met. Alex slowly closed the book and told Piper to "get over here." Piper danced for a few more moments, keeping Alex entranced while she crossed her arms and lifted her grey tank top over her head revealing a lacy multicolored bra. Alex lifted her hand and bent her finger toward her, mouthing "come here."

Piper obediently stepped closer, placing a hand on one of the columns of their four poster bed, and grinded up against it. She teased her fingers along her shoulders,"are you gonna miss me?," she asked seductively.

Alex raised her eyebrows and replied, "yes", she shook her head to the side, her leg opened and closed fanning her hot loins, she was so turned on, she inhaled, "too much." Her own words drifted through her brain, spun a web through her chest and tugged at her heart. It was too much, she needed Piper, when she wanted her, all the time. Piper placed her hands on her hips and rocked her ass in a circle courting the brunette. Alex's eyebrows lowered as if judging her for not thinking of it before, "come with me."

Piper worked her way to the other side of the bedpost, confused if she heard what she thought she heard, "what?"

"Come to Bali," she grabbed the remote and turned off the music. "Come with me, I mean it, I'll buy you a plane ticket," she said smirking, and she removed her glasses, shaken by her own sudden brilliance. Why should she have to choose?

Piper stopped her dancing and kneeled onto the bed, why did she always have to fuck with her? Alex was staring her straight in the eye though, she didn't know if the other woman really meant it. She dropped her seductive tone, looked her up and down and asked, "are you serious?"

She had never been more fucking serious in her life. She leaned forward to her lover, raised her eyebrows and drawled, "yes," before planting a kiss square between her breasts. She pulled the blonde onto her lap, making her spread her legs open for her. "Come with me. Quit your job and come with me." She caressed her breasts and subtly inhaled her scent.

"Wh...I...,"Alex rubbed her hands along her breast and over her shoulder, letting it linger behind her neck, "I'd have to give notice."

She pulled the blonde to her and kissed her on her jawline before she laughed out, "you're a fucking waitress, you don't need to give notice." She continued to plant kisses on the blonde's cheek.

"Will I get in trouble?"

"God I hope so," she laughed villainously and continued to caress her breasts.

Alex kissed her on the spot of her collarbone that drove her crazy. She softly moaned out trying to steady her train of thought, she leaned her weight onto Alex, "you know what I mean." She grazed the brunette's breast unable to control her hands.

"You don't have to do anything," she told her while she fingered the underside of her bra strap. She fought hard to resist the urge to pounce on the brunette and let her finish explaining to her, "you're just there to keep me company, alright?" She couldn't resist anymore and she crashed her lips into the brunette's.

"Come on babe, I want you to come." She felt Alex's hand move into her underwear and felt two fingers slide inside. Her mouth slowly dropped open, pleasure overcoming her body, "and I want you to cum," she exhaled a moan while Alex's fingers continued to work their magic.

Piper was already losing herself, Alex tried to bring her back, "yes? Is that a yes?," she needed to hear it.

"Yes," she exhaled "yes."


	10. Chapter 10

10

"Why wouldn't I go? I have nothing to lose!"

"Nothing to lose? Mmmm how about your sanity, or your dignity, or your life to name a few? What if you get caught or she trades you to pirates or something?"

Piper shook her head and looked away, they had been going at this for an hour. She was emotionally exhausted, she knew Polly wouldn't be supportive.

"Piper look at me, you're willing to follow this woman around the world. She is a drug dealer, oh my God, I cannot believe I'm having this conversation with you. This is not okay," she said stamping her foot, "Piper!?"

"WHAT?!" she screamed turning her head back to her friend. "Dammit Polly I hear you! I'm not asking you for your approval or if you think I've lost my mind. I just told you so I could let you know where I am and so you don't think I fell off of the face of the planet if I don't respond to a text message within thirty seconds." Regardless of whatever came out of her mouth, she did wish for her friend's approval, wished she could be happy for her despite the risks she was knowingly taking but managed to suppress.

"I told my mom I was going to be going abroad to write reviews for some shows. I need you to be able to vouch for me if she asks. I would never tell her what I'm really doing, for what?-to be judged and watch her plead with her eyes and try to convince me that I'm going through some kind of phase? I don't need this shit from you right now, I need my best friend, so can you just take the copy of my passport and be happy for me?"

Polly's neck dropped, she cradled her head in her hands. "Why are you so crazy? How can you just get up and leave? Aren't you scared at all?"

"She makes me crazy. I'm supposed to be with her, I feel it way deep in here," she clutched her fist to her stomach. "It's visceral; I have no power over that feeling. Polly, she's taking me with her to the other side of the world, no strings attached. She said I wouldn't have to do anything, that I was just there to keep her company."

"And that's not selfish at all? What are you supposed to do while she's sending people off with bags of coke shoved up their exit only hole, huh?"

"Oh my God Polly that's not how it works." "Then how does it work?"

Piper pursed her lips and laughs out, "I have no fucking clue. She doesn't talk about the details, I told her I don't want to know. But if I ask she tells me. It's on a need to know basis."

"What about my wedding? You're supposed to be my maid of honor. I need you to help me make decisions, go dress shopping, help me pick out flowers, and sit through horrible DJ compilations until I find the right one."

"I won't miss any of the big stuff. She'll have her computer, I'll have my phone just email me photos and things until I get back."

Polly nodded, not quite sure if she could believe a word from her wide eyed, adventure seeking, stupid lesbian best friend but she held her tongue and exhaled, "please just be so careful and let me know as soon as you get there."

"I will, I promise. She'll make sure I'm alright Polly, she always does."

"Polly this room is huge. It's easily five times the size of our old apartment. The staff comes in to turn down the bed and lace the tub with rose petals and oils. It has its own freaking pool!"

"That sounds horrible, I'm so glad you're regretting going along with that tall drink of water and calling to tell me you were frisked by customs and that I was right all along."

"I cannot believe I am here. We haven't gone anywhere yet but I'm so excited to get out and see the temples and the beaches. I was reading about this one spot in Lonely Planet..."

"You know, you must have a really impressive vagina, what the hell?" "Yeah well, I had a good teacher."

"Oh ew. I'll talk to you later. Call me again soon ok?"

Piper dove off the wooden deck and into the private pool at the back of their villa. Alex had left their room before Piper had woken up that morning and was now just returning, the sun having gone down minutes prior. Piper longed for a bit of one on one time and was disappointed when Alex turned down her request to go swimming. Water droplets dripped down over her face, her back faced the villa. Alex walked out dressed in a light weight, low cut, black halter dress, her hair pinned up with a red handkerchief holding her hairstyle in place. She hiked her dress up a little and sat at the edge of the pool dipping her legs in mid-way up her calves. She kicked a little water at Piper, "hey you, don't be mad at me Pipes, I'm tired, I had a long day. Why don't you come out and lay in bed with me?"

"I've been lying in bed for the last two days Alex, I want to go out but I don't know where I'm going, you said we'd do something fun."

"We will babe, I just need a few days to sort out some major plans...we'll have some downtime soon, alright?"

Piper floated on her back ignoring Alex's last remarks, a few days seemed like an eternity. She swam over towards Alex's feet and lightly tickled the bottoms receiving a fluttery kick shortly thereafter. She pushed off the edge and swam backwards a few feet. She undid her bikini top and snaked her legs out of her bottoms. She tossed her wet suit onto the edge of the pool and floated onto her back, causing her nipples to stick out of the water. She hummed along flutter kicking her feet, when she saw Alex stand up and start to walk back to the villa. She let her feet sink to the bottom of the pool, her shoulders slumped, her back once again facing the villa. She heard a few quick footsteps before she felt a huge splash interrupt the water from Alex's fully clothed cannonball. Alex swam towards a light built into the wall of the pool and pressed her back against it letting her arms rest on the edge. Piper swam up to her almost instantly, hooking her ankles behind the small of her back, holding onto her shoulders. Water dripped from her bandana down her forehead and the sides of her face. Alex puts her arms around Pipers back and kisses her softly while walking around in smooth pattern around the pool, her dress floats behind them. She leans her back up against the pool and sighs, a small smile crosses her lips. Piper notices she does look exhausted. "Sorry Al, we can get out, you kind of look like crap." Piper swims over to the edge placing the bases of her hands on the edge of the pool about to hoist herself out when Alex pulls her back in.

The look in her eyes morphs from exhaustion to flirtatious, enticing. Alex fondles her between her legs, the friction is slightly rough due to the water washing away her own moisture. Her thrusts are slowed working against the gravity of the water. Piper comes quickly, clawing at the exposed skin of Alex's shoulders. She nibbles at Piper's bottom lip and whispers huskily, "I'm never that tired." She pushes herself out of the pool, drops her dress outside on the deck before walking into their room and closing the sliding door.

Piper follows the woman into the villa. Pool water drips off of Alex's body onto the bathroom floor. Piper imagines the water crying as it falls away from the most beautiful set of arms it ever journeyed down. She throws on a big grey t-shirt, and sits on the corner of their bed watching Alex pull countless amounts of pins from her now sopping tangled hair. Alex feels the blonde watching her, and she glances over her left shoulder,

"am I an exhibit or something? Quit staring." Piper just smiles and continues to stare.

Alex hits the light and flops face first onto the bed, buck naked. Piper sidles up next to her bare skin and finger combs her hair; Alex's eyelids slowly shut, the blonde swears she can hear her purring. She grabs some lotion, compliments of the Ubud Hanging Gardens resort and returns to the bed, mounting Alex just above her behind. She squeezes a generous amount of lotion into the palm of her hand, rubs them together and begins to smooth her hands over Alex's upper back. She moves in outward strokes and concentrates on her shoulders and trapezius muscle noting its tensity. She massages the muscle deeply until she feels the tissue soften underneath the pads of her fingers.

"So, where did you have to go today? You look wrecked," Piper asked curiously while simultaneously not really wanting to know.

Alex opened her eyes suddenly and raised her head a few inches off the bed looking over her shoulder at Piper.

"What?"

"You were gone almost the whole day and your body is all tense in here," she squeezes her shoulders. "What did you have to do?"

Alex hardened her eyebrows and rolled her shoulders back.

"We had a big shipment come in today from Burma, fucking epic shipment. I was on the south side of the island waiting near the airport, the flight alone takes half a day. I had nine people carrying on that one flight , almost one and a half million dollars." She felt Pipers body tense against hers, she was silent, barely breathing. She slowly turned onto her side just slightly, careful not to knock Piper onto the bed, "hey kid, you alive?" Piper nodded, robotic. "So I tracked the flight for the better part of the day and watched that each of them walked out of the airport exit into respective cars and made it to a drop spot." Alex narrated nonchalantly, her shoulders now completely relaxed. "I have another one coming in the day after tomorrow and then I'll be free for a bit, we can get around the island and..."

"You're doing this again in two days?" she asked while rubbing her knees, still squatting atop Alex's body.

"Heck yes, this is what I do. Yeah it's intense for a day but then the high lasts for weeks and I get to take you to pretty places like this," she lassoed her pointer finger in the air.

Piper softly squeezes the skin between Alex's neck and clavicle noticing it's completely relaxed.

"See? I'm chill," Alex replies pointing to herself. "Look, just don't think about it ok. Look into stuff you want to see or do around the island, keep your brain busy with that." Alex pulls Piper down beside her and against her chest. Piper turns her head, her ear pressed up against Alex's sternum, all she hears is a slow steady beat.

Piper lies on the bed staring at the darkening sky, two days later. She's absorbed into the changing colors high above- purples, yellows, orange, pink. She was doing everything in her power not to turn her head toward the clock that she'd been staring at for the last hour, watching as each minute ticked by.

Where was she? What if something terrible happened? How would she ever know? The thoughts swam around her mind, she felt uneasy.

She rapidly shook her head as if clearing her mind like an etch-a-sketch. She made her way into a bag she brought as a carryon and dug out a new play, 'The Pillowman.' She took the book out onto a lounge chair and began to read. As she turned each page, the sky became darker. She tore through her book and 71 pages later, she was left feeling more anxious. She turned over onto her stomach, her arms hanging off the sides of the lounger, the backs of her hands lie against the ground. If something happened, what do I do? Where would I even start?

She loses track of how long she's been lying there when she hears the door of their villa close. Alex joins her outside on the lounge, she sits in between Piper's legs and reclines down onto her back snaking her legs over Piper's shoulders.

" I-Am-Beat," she states, pushing her glasses up on top of her head. "Minor flight delay my ass," she rubs her eyes, "that's what I get at the end of the wet season though, huh?," she takes her toe and pokes Piper in her crotch. Piper jumps at the touch, and audibly exhales. She pushes herself up from the chair and walks inside. She starts moving the contents around her bag, not looking for anything, but not knowing what to do with herself either. So many emotions synchronously cascade over her body-initially filled with so much relief she could cry but shortly replaced by hatred at the dauntlessness of the entire setup, such conscious reckless behavior, anger because Alex didn't even apologize for making her feel like her stomach betrayed itself and was about to fall through her ass. But why even expect an apology? Alex never apologizes.

Alex slides the door open and stands over a crouched Piper, "so what do you want to do tomorrow?" Piper places the palms of her hands on the floor steadying herself from the shock- shock from Alex acting as though nothing unique happened today and shocked that after being so selfish, she was inquiring about something Piper wanted. She stood up snatched the hotel pad that held the attractions she scribbled down throughout the day off the table and shoved it into Alex's chest.

"Thank you," Alex replied to Pipers back as she walked into the living area. Piper slumped onto the couch, her elbow on the arm, face resting against her fist. Alex fell back into their bed, and looked over Piper's list pursing her lips.

Hours later, into the early morning, Piper finds Alex standing over her clad in an old Scorpion tee with cuffed sleeves, cut off jean shorts, a high ponytail and an overstuffed backpack. She roughly shakes Piper's shoulder telling her they need to leave in ten minutes and she can sleep on the way to Kalibukbuk.

The ride is quiet, Piper's back aches with tense anger, it resonates down her spine, all the while aware that Alex is functioning on little sleep sitting here beside her in this rickety cab. After about a two hour ride, they arrive at the base of the trail in Banjar Labuhan Haji and follow a local villager who's willing to show them the way up to the waterfall Piper wants to see. She can start to hear the rumbling of the falls, stones along the trail are slick with moisture. She hooks her thumbs in the straps of the backpack Alex packed for them and inhales the humid air around her following the sound. At the top of the waterfall, the water gathers in a calm pool and Alex slips the guide some rupiah to make himself scarce after Piper dares her to strip and go skinny dipping.

"Feeling audacious this morning aren't we?," Alex asks her stroking her side underneath the water. She felt her tension melt away at the brunette's touch. The water gently rises and sinks around their shoulders and after about twenty minutes, Alex dares her to jump off the edge of the waterfall.

Piper swims over to the edge where she saw their guide walk into the green shade of the trees, she waits a while until he comes into view.

"Have you ever seen people jump?" "Oh yes miss," he said smiling. "Have you ever jumped?"

"Oh no, miss!" he said, still smiling.

Piper walks out of the pool and eyes the path that she'll climb down in order to stick out a bit from the more jagged rocks. She hears Alex's voice, it's small due to the distance and the surrounding crashing of the weight of the falls. Alex stands about five feet behind her.

"Piper! I wasn't serious, get over here now before you fall and break your fucking neck," the brunette yelled out to her, genuine fear overtaking her face.

Serious. She didn't care if this had been Alex's idea of a joke. She felt the cushion from the lounge chair her face lay against for hours the night prior waiting for Alex, as she did God knows how many dangerous, treacherous, illegal things. Piper snapped her neck back toward Alex and glared at her.

She bent her knees, stretched her arms out behind her and flung herself off of the rocks and fell down into the rough water below her. Thrilled at the fact that she had the courage to jump and happy that her head didn't crack on the rocks below her, she laughed and screamed at the top of her lungs as she saw Alex's naked body hit the water a few feet away from her. Alex swam over to her and grabbed both of her arms hard causing Piper's back to straighten.

"What in the hell is the matter with you? I was joking Piper! That was really fucking stupid!," Alex yelled at her, inches from her face, her eyes dancing back and forth, her breathing heavy.

"That was stupid!? Compared to what Alex?!," she yelled with seething anger, her eyes pleading with angst.

Alex said nothing but Piper could tell she understood the fear that she must have felt the night before, to have mustered up the motivation to jump with such ferocity, reciprocating the feeling of not knowing if the other would come back alive.

Piper had evened the playing field, no further words needed to be exchanged. Piper shoved her shoulder while the brunette sneered and lowered herself deeper into the water and inched her body closer to the blonde. Almost instantaneously Piper felt a cold mushy consistency over her head, shoulders and now moving down her arms underneath Alex's rubbing hands.

"The mud is supposed to have healing properties. You needed a cool down." Piper tried to dunk Alex under but Alex managed to wrestle her off and Piper splashed into the water, and started washing the mud off.

Their guide stood at the edge of the pool holding their bag looking beyond ready to head back down. The women put their bathing suits back on and headed back down toward the beach. Along the sand they found a small shack serving some Balinese cuisine; Alex took the liberty of ordering them Nasi Campur. They watched their chef crack a coconut and whittle skewers to spear the satay's and cook their lunch on a wooden fire set on the beach.

"This is delicious," Piper states chewing the chicken satay off of her stick.

"The best satay's are in Java; we can take a ferry to get there, it's not too far," Alex tells her, her shoulders dance to silent music while she shovels in a mouthful of rice. Piper's body excited from within at the promise of seeing more places in Southeast Asia.

They walked down the beach, Piper sought Alex's hand, lacing her fingers between her own and held it tight in her grip. They walked along the beach for miles until Piper noticed the beach becoming denser with people. Alex told her to sit tight by the shore while she walked up behind her toward an older building. She came back for Piper wearing a scuba mask, the hard plastic under her nose flattening her top lip.

"How hot am I?," she asked posing with her arms outstretched, palms to the sky.

Piper laughed and grabbed Alex's extended hand as she pulled her up off the beach. Piper poked her in her upper lip, "sizzlin'." She followed Alex into the building where they had a quick private lesson before going out into the Bali Sea to scuba dive. Alex pulled a disposable underwater camera out of her backpack, an impromptu purchase from their hotel that morning, and looped the rubber band around her wrist. They took a few pictures underwater of stupid faces, of Piper swimming around tropical fish. Alex tried to dance underwater, her movements in slow motion, causing Piper to laugh and bubbles to escape from her mouthpiece. She swam to the surface. They slowly swam back and returned their equipment. They lay on the beach to dry off, Piper on her stomach facing Alex, Alex on her back propped on her elbows, looking at the water. Their skin absorbed the sunshine throughout the afternoon, the smell of salt water and sunscreen wafting around them.

"Wanna go somewhere a little ways from the crowd?"

Piper looked up at the sun as it began its initial descent. She nodded and backed up onto her hands and knees and stretched.

"Mmmmmmmrrrrrow," Alex growled at her. "Are you ever not horny?"

"Kid, you have no idea."

They found a spot down the beach away from the mass commotion but still close enough to hear the faint music from surrounding beachfront restaurants and bars. Alex unwrapped her sarong from around her waist and laid it down on the beach for her and Piper to lay on. She pulled two bottles of juice from their bag, "apple or grape?"

Piper raised her pointer toward the apple and Alex handed her the bottle. "Good, apple reminds me too much of pee."

Piper unscrewed the cap and took a sip, "mmmm, warm."

She looked behind Alex's back at the woman moving her hand around their bag. Alex looked back over at her, hand still in the bag and shrugged her shoulders, "Mary Poppins." She withdrew a pouch that resembled a makeup case and pinched out a small plastic container. Piper leaned forward a little and Alex pulled the container toward her body. "So eager are we." She looked into the container and pulled out two pills and handed one to Piper, "ecstasy."

Piper felt her palms sweat slightly underneath the pill that rested in her hand, "why is yours different?"

"Mine is Molly, it's stronger. You'll get too fucked up with this one. The person who I got these from, I know him well, his E is good, not full of bullshit chemicals." Piper eyed the pill in Alex's hand, waiting for Alex to take hers first.

Alex was about to pop her capsule when she picked up Piper's juice bottle and handed it to her, "the taste is really bitter, chase it with the juice. You'll thank me later—in more ways than one I hope," she winked and elbowed her in her side. Alex took her pill between her teeth, threw her head back and took a large gulp of her juice, Piper copied her motions.

"I don't feel anything," Piper remarked a few moments later. "Well give it some time kid, Jesus."

"Well I don't know how long it's supposed to take!"

"Give it a half an hour or so." She paused for a while, fell back onto her elbows and looked around a bit, "so what do you think, liking Bali so far?"

"Yeah it's really gorgeous and the people are so friendly. I've never seen so many tropical fish before, they were so fearless and beautiful."

"You're beautiful and ridiculously fucking hot in that bikini."

Alex laid flat on her back, Piper rested her head on her shoulder, curling her body around Alex's. She focused on the rise and fall of Alex's chest, the music from the beach synchronizing in perfect rhythm. She brought her head up a bit and felt drawn into Alex's grey green eyes, the colors never more illuminating. Alex rubbed her foot along the bottom of Piper's leg, while Piper placed her hand on her own hip following the contours of her leg until she met Alex's. She pulled Alex's leg up over her own hip, she couldn't pull her close enough. Piper pressed her nose against Alex's, and bit her lip roughly "why don't I feel you inside me?," she craved her suddenly.

Alex kissed Piper sensually, Piper didn't dare break the contact of the kiss, her body filled with wanton desire, she was sure she'd collapse if her lips broke contact with Alex's skin. She pulled the left strap of Alex's bathing suit off her shoulder and started sucking on her breast, she nipped and sucked, Alex's taste was perfect, she let it rest on her tongue. Her teeth raked down the brunette's skin until she found a spot along Alex's ribs that made her jolt forward, Piper lapped and sucked until she was satisfied with her mark.

Her mind raced, her body followed the motions with fluidity. She sat back slightly on her feet and parted Alex's legs, she crawled up and leaned her moist center against the crook of the brunette's hip, each of her legs now wrapped back around Alex's right leg. She rubbed herself slowly at first against Alex's clit eliciting a moan from the brunette that caused her speed to pick up almost savagely. She clutches her hand at Alex's breast massaging it with the rhythm of her rocking hips. Her body starts to tingle, consumed with the feeling of her climax building. It ripples through her stomach and her pussy starts contracting, but she continues to ride Alex through the gasps as her body shudders against her lovers.

Alex holds her upright and steady with her arm just below her breasts. She sits up, mirroring Piper's position. She removes Piper's bottoms just before Piper's hips start to writhe beneath her again, her voice deepens, "uhhn, more." She tries to get up on her knees but they start to shake and she lies onto her back, devoid of any self-consciousness in her heightened sense of arousal and opens her legs exposing herself to Alex.

Alex makes a "turn around" motion with her finger and Piper obeys turning herself onto all fours and bends over leaning on her elbows. Alex draws a single finger from her clit to her ass, "oh baby you're so wet, is this all for me?" Piper can't respond, a whimper escapes through her barely parted lips. Alex breathes near her pussy, Piper's hips move just slightly anticipating everything, something, anything that Alex is willing to satisfy her insatiable need with. She feels one long stroke of Alex's tongue and a flick of her clit and her hips move uncontrollably seeking more of the experienced tongue. "Mmmmm so bad," she drawls lightly spanking the blonde. Piper rises up onto her knees, she can't wait any longer, she motions as if she is going to change positions when Alex grabs her hips from behind and presses a hand to her belly pulling her tightly against her body. She runs her hand slowly down the sharp angle of Piper's hip and settles her fingers against her folds. She rubs her mercilessly, "tell me what you want."

"Don't stop, never stop."

Piper reaches her arms behind Alex and grabs onto whatever part of Alex's body her hands can stabilize on. She rocks back into Alex her moans grow louder, her desire is so strong, the stars glow brightly in the sky, the bass of the music gets louder and louder. "Ooooh God Aleeeeex, lick me, fuck me, you feel so good," her back starts to arch against Alex's chest.

And Alex stops. She fucking stops.

Piper falls forward onto her palms incredulously defeated.

Alex leans into her and nudges her neck with ravenous need. "Don't move." She inhales the blondes scent and is overwhelmed with her own need; she bites and sucks Pipers sensitive spot and she feels Pipers body shake beneath her. She sits in front of Piper, the black of Alex's hair blends with the darkness of the night but the blonde can smell her, and her eyes are drawn to the white of Alex's shoulders that peak through the strands of her long hair; the white slowly gets closer and closer, Alex sinks her back into the ground. She corkscrews her body through Piper's until she is perfectly underneath Piper's soaking wet cunt. Piper spreads her knees out further and lowers herself into Alex's mouth. Piper felt every nerve ending on her body open up to a different level. Alex bit into the flesh on her inner thigh and soothes it with a slow lick. She lapped up Piper's excess juices while moaning out how turned on she was when she felt how soaked she could make her.

Piper pulled the edge of Alex's bathing suit out of the way and eyed her hot, sensual, brilliant girlfriend's naughtiest part. She panted hot air against her center and licked it softly. She parted her lips and teased her opening with her tongue. She felt Alex's grip tighten around her thighs and pulled her closer. Piper opened her mouth like an "O" and enveloped Alex's clit and frenched it deeply. Alex licked her in long strokes down the length of her pussy trailing over her opening each time. Piper pushed down firmly wanting to feel her tongue inside, when she felt Alex open her mouth and suck her firmly. Piper buried her face into Alex and started rapidly licking over her clit, she needed to come now and she wanted Alex to come with her, but Alex continued her slow pace. Piper relented, stuck two fingers in her mouth coating them and slowly slipped them into Alex causing her back to leave the ground below them,"fuucccck me."

"I thought you'd never ask!," Piper panted and started moving her fingers in and out at a quickened pace while continuing to press circles over Alex's clit with her tongue. She loved the feeling of Alex's body moving beneath her. She followed her rhythm and moaned out as Alex's tongue filled her deep inside. Piper tried to control the roll of her hips desperate not to lose contact with the magical phenomenon that danced inside her. Alex's tongue wiggled around her hole, her hands holding her thighs, her thumb rubbing against her clit.

"Oh fuck I'm going to cum, cum with me." Alex rode her hard. Piper reached her hand between them and grabbed Alex's free hand, white knuckling it in her grip. Her body released an incredible orgasm, her eyesight blurred with glitter, an orgasm so strong she had to fight to keep her mouth moving against Alex, until she felt Alex arch underneath her followed by a myriad of sensual spasms.

Piper relaxed her body on top of Alex's until she felt Alex nibble the bottom of her cheek causing her to clench. She rolled off of her slowly, not able to fully feel all the parts of her body, and re- positioned herself, planting ravenous kisses over her sexual prowess. She rolled onto her back and they gazed up at the star filled sky.

"Alex look up at that one do you see it shooting across the sky?" her pointer finger aimed straight in the air.

"Yep."

"It's amazing! Isn't it incredibly beautiful?"

"Yes Piper, a beautifully metallic hunk of metal called an airplane. You make Delta proud."


	11. Chapter 11

11

They lay on their backs in the hot night air, the gentle wrestling of the palm trees heard above, a strong bass from a hotel's beach party pulsing from afar. She felt the blonde turn, pressing her sweaty skin against the length of her body.

Piper hummed the tune of a song that Alex was unfamiliar with, as she traced the pads of her fingers across Alex's nipple; she rocked her hips against the brunette's leg.

Her hips swayed in forceful circles, her bone digging into Alex's hip,"hey Dancing Queen, wanna go check it out before you rub the skin off my leg?." she nudged her head towards the music.

Piper lowered her eyebrows deeply as if thinking hard, while biting her lip and continuing her pattern. The brunette stood up and brushed the sand off her legs. She tugged at the sarong that Piper still lay upon until it broke free, the blonde used her hands to ungracefully push herself up into a standing position.

"You can wear this," Alex handed her the sarong, while she dug her cutoffs out of her backpack. Piper slipped on her tank top pulling the shirt over the edge of the material she tied around her waist.

They walked down the beach til they got closer to the scene. People were sloppily dancing on the patio of the backside of the hotel and spilling out onto the beach. A remix of No Doubt's "Hey Baby" thumped on and Piper wasted no time rubbing her ass against Alex's thighs.

"I can't wear this Pipes, and I need a drink," she looked around at the crowd of tourists, "...or three." Piper raised her hands over her head and danced while looking around; there clearly was no dress code but her girlfriend's shirt had seen better days.

"Hey baby hey baby hey," she sang out while pulling Alex through the crowd toward the hotel.

"I'm gonna get us drinks, get me a shirt?," she asked slipping Piper her shiny metal case that held her bills and the occasional blunt, as she removed her worn t-shirt and shoved it in her bag.

Piper bit her neck and shook her ass as she walked away. She perused the gift shop but the only shirts they had were neon colored tee's with the hotels name or Bali printed on them. She ran her hands over a silky square scarf and slid some rupiah on the counter declining a bag.

She found Alex with her back and elbows resting on the bar double fisting their drinks. Piper held up the paisley square with both hands like a matador.

"The fuck am I supposed to do with that?"

She looped the fabric around the back of the brunette's neck and pulled her away to a corner. Alex set their drinks on the ground.

"Hold your hair up," the blonde said as she tied two corners around Alex's neck like a halter. She slid the straps of the brunette's one piece off her shoulders and pulled it down so it folded over her shorts, and tied the other two corners of the scarf around her waist.

"Voila," she spun her around as Alex let down her beachy mess of hair, causing the blonde to spaz; she clapped excitedly and smiled widely.

"Just pull your bathing suit through your shorts, c'mon I want to dance," she said poking the underside of Alex's unsupported breast.

Alex snaked her bathing suit through her shorts and shoved it into her bag. She slid the bag over one of her shoulders, and was about to reach down and get their drinks when Piper stopped her, "please, allow me." She pressed her ass against Alex's thighs once again and slowly leaned forward to grab their drinks. She circled her hips, pushing back firmly and took her time easing her way up, and turned to meet Alex's eye.

"Is that what kids are doing these days?"

"Only the naughty ones," she said through her perfect white teeth. She rested her arms on Alex's hip bones, careful not to spill the drinks behind her back. She pressed her front against her.

"Was that supposed to turn me on?"

Piper squinted her eyes and pursed her lips pulling her neck back, "didn't it?"

"Maybe, I might need you to do it again, just to be sure." She took her drink from Pipers hand.

"That could probably be arranged."

Alex grasped Pipers hand and slipped it down the front of her shorts, her fingertips met her wetness, she inhaled sharply, "or won't be needed at all."

She removed her hand to grab Alex's free one and raised it over their heads and dragged the brunette onto the dance floor. Alex shoved their bag under a table on the beach, took a long gulp of her drink and stomped out the beat moving her body against the blonde. The air was hot and the space crowded, the beat of the base vibrated under their feet. Piper's hands were everywhere, raised over her head, through her own hair. She dragged her hands over Alex's exposed shoulders, until the brunette felt a clammy palm press against the small of her back and push so that the blonde, who was clearly still flying and mesmerized by the figure of eights Alex's waist was teasing her with, could be felt against her body. Alex smirked at the blonde's aggression, making her feelings explicitly apparent. The song faded and Britney's "Toxic" pulsed through the speakers. Piper brought her hand behind the nape of Alex's neck unable to control her desire, she nuzzled against the skin of brunette's neck, and whispered the lyrics into her ear,

"you're toxic I'm slipping under," she exhaled her hot breath against the brunettes ear, "with a taste of a poison paradise," she grunted,

"I'm addicted to you," she whined breathlessly,

"don't you know that you're," she thrust her hips twice, "tox-ic."

Alex, all too aware of her aroused nipples, held Piper close to her body, letting the blonde grind herself hot and heavily against her throughout the remainder of the song. A dozen songs, two water bottles and a whiskey shot later, they were drenched in sweat. Alex rapidly fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand, desperately trying to get the hot air to move around her face as a slower song came on. She stepped away and audibly sighed relieved that she could take a break as Piper pulled her back with both hands, step-touching from side to side, not showing any intent of stopping, Alex recognized the old 80's hit "High on You." She shook her head as the blonde's hands wrapped around her wrists and passively moved her arms around like she was conducting an orchestra. She was hard enough to get off a dance floor normally, and for a split second Alex regretted giving her the X, but she thought back to the romp they had a few hours earlier on the beach and decided indulging the blonde in another whirl was worth it; she sucked it up and joined in her corny dance.

She convinced Piper to sit for a while and breathe, she unzipped the small pocket of her backpack and pulled out her phone and saw 4 missed calls and a multitude of texts from Fahri demanding to know where she was and that he needed her in the morning. She texted him back saying she was on the opposite site of the island; seconds later her phone buzzed with his name, she flipped it open and walked down the beach toward the water. Piper walked back toward the hoard of people as if she was being lured, she wanted to hear what the DJ was saying. Alex yelled into her phone, frustrated at the insistence that she was required to be present for work the following morning. She was used to being called in on short notice but less than 24 hours was unrealistic and she made it clear she would not tolerate his abuse and threw in a few expletives for good measure. She returned to their table and threw herself into the back of the chair heatedly as Piper came skipping over, "Al, they're having a dance contest, c'mon!" she exclaimed excitedly, completely oblivious to the brunette's mood change.

"We just danced for like two hours Piper."

"No, they're going to show us a routine and then see who does it the best."

Alex raised an eyebrow and made a face as if she smelled something foul. The hope drained from Piper's face.

She saw the disappointment on the blondes face, "what do we get if we win?" Alex asked her unenthusiastically as she slipped her phone back into her backpack.

Piper shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know... I just thought it would be fun."

"I'm really not feeling it Pipes," she reclined back into her chair and crossed one leg over the other.

"Please?," Piper asked and smiled at her sweetly.

Alex peered over her glasses aware of the effect Piper's attempt at wooing her had on her heart, she knew she was a goner the second the blonde curled her lips upward, nevermind the way she leaned both hands on her knees and batted her eyelashes inches from her face.

Alex rolled her eyes while she sucked her teeth, and exhaled, "fine, let's go."

"Eeee," Piper squeeled and pecked her quickly before dragging her back over to the crowd to learn the routine.

They learned the choreography and brushed the dirt off their shoulders, did the sprinkler, dropped it like it was hot and grinded against each other 5 or 6 times smack talking their competitor's with their "damn right it's better than yours, "and "keep moving, off the floor, we would teach you, but we'd have to charge," commentary, as each contestant was eliminated before them; someone finally had mercy and removed the blonde and brunette delinquents from the dance floor.

They collected their bag and walked through the hotel lobby and onto the street. They walked along the main street with bright lights, shops and restaurants most of which were closed and looked around for a cab. They took in the sounds of the remaining nightlife when Alex felt Piper break away from her arm, previously linked, and watched her press her hands against the glass of a tattoo parlor.

"I want one!,"she said, her eyes darting over the designs displayed in the window.

"You're not getting one here. You cant just go to any random place and let them stick needles into your body."

"Why not? It looks clean, there's other people inside."

"You're gonna get yourself Hepatitis, do you even have insurance?" she asked nonchalantly raising her hand for a cab to take them back to their hotel two hours away. They climbed in, "if you still want one when we get home, ill go with you." Piper nodded her head and dropped the subject, convinced by her girlfriend's rationale. She laid her body across the back seat, resting her head in Alex's lap and fell asleep. Alex stayed awake during the two hour drive, only waking the blonde once they'd pulled up to the cul de sac of their hotel lobby. They stumbled through the door exhausted and collapsed fully clothed onto the crisp white sheets.

Alex cracked an eye open and stretched her long legs until they shook, gently rousing the blonde that lay across her body. She took a deep breath, inhaling a sour stench, "ugh, holy shit it reeks in here, what the hell is that?"

Piper raised her head and breathed in making a face, "I think it's us," she laughed out heartily. "We did go swimming and hiking and neglected to shower so..."

"uh and danced for 76 fucking hours like we were auditioning for Soul Train." Piper rolled over and hit the brunette in the face with her pillow. She slumped an arm over her eyes embarrassedly having remembered her dance-a-thon.

Alex rolled over her and moved her arm from over her eyes smiling wickedly. "Thanks for last night," Piper murmured.

"You feel okay? Not hung over or anything?"

"I feel fine, the X was good," she said as she teasingly flicked one of Alex's nipples.

"Yeah it kept you going for a while," she said turning onto her side, propped up on an elbow, "maybe next time you should just lick it," she curled her tongue and teased it between her lips, making Piper's eyes widen and her cheeks uncontrollably blush.

Alex placed an order for room service and joined Piper for a shower. They slipped on robes, lying lazily on the bed until Alex got up to answer the knock at the door.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she said clutching her robe closed tighter across her chest.

"Covering for your ass," Fahri looked over her shoulder at Piper who sat up alertly when she heard the tone in Alex's voice. He scratched his chin, remembering, "same girl?" Alex closed the door some and moved her hand in circles motioning for him to get on with it. "I told you I needed you this morning, you were supposed to meet me four hours ago."

"And I fucking told you, it wasn't happening."

"You're distracted," he nudged his head toward her bed, "and you're going to get burned," he dug a finger into her forearm as if he was putting out a cigarette, she pulled away hard and fast revolted at the touch. "Kubra's pissed."

Alex cleared her throat, she felt the acid rise as her stomach knotted.

"You can play house on your own time. He wants us to set up in different locations around the gulf of Thailand." He handed her a large envelope; she unwrapped the cord holding the flap closed and withdrew the documents. "You need to phys-i-cal-ly be there," he broke it down condescendingly. "I covered for your ass this morning, get your shit together."

He looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with Piper, she quickly averted her eyes and moved out his sight lines. "Cute," he nodded approvingly at Alex's taste, "but there isn't room for both," he said looking into her eyes, "lose the blonde." He walked away and Alex slammed the door.

"Asshole," she muttered under her breath taking large steps back toward their bed, she flopped onto the crumbled comforter and looked over the papers.

"Who was that?" Piper asked wide eyed, her voice shaking slightly.

"No one," she said annoyed, "pack up, we're going to Thailand."


	12. Chapter 12

12

Piper packed up the room they had set up camp in, feeling like a gypsy, while Alex looked into making arrangements to get them to Thailand in the next few days.

She opted to take the ferry to east Java and woke Piper up in the middle of the night to make the best of their limited time. Well before the sun had risen, they started their hike up the difficult terrain of the Ijen Crater, stopping several times along the way to rest and re-hydrate.

"I swear you look like a kid out of Troop Beverly Hills but you smoke my ass every time," Alex pants out to her while sitting on the ground and sips her water.

"You should've eaten your Wheaties this morning," she replies as she bends down to tie Alex's sneaker, blinding her with her headlamp and hoists her back up. They hike to the top passing laboring sulfur miners who grunted under the weight of their load along the way. Piper looked down into the smoky blue light below, as Alex told her about the acid lake that consumed the sulfur then emitted the blue flames,

"that's so cool, how long did it take you to get up here last time?" Alex shook her head.

"Was it that bad? 3 hours? 4 hours?," she pokes at Alex since she managed to get her to the top in just over 2.

"I've never done this climb before, okay? Let's go," and she walked closer to the edge. "Where are you going?"

"Down there," she pointed to the smoke, "I want to get closer to the flames."

"Uh, you mean into the fire?"

"It's not in the flames but you can get really close. The best view is before the sun rises though we have to go now."

"Why haven't you done this before if you've been here so many other times?"

"Cause it's fucking creepy, and I was afraid I might fall and die," she replies matter of factly while buying a piece of carved sulfur from one of the miners and hands it to Piper.

"Oh so now you're not afraid?," she asks inspecting her new souvenir.

"No I am, but if you were willing to jump off that cliff, I thought you might be willing to climb down this thing with me."

She looks at the brunette amused, "and wasn't it you who screamed at me and told me I was really fucking stupid for doing that?," she looks over the edge and takes in how steep and rocky the continued "path" actually is. "No one else is going down there Alex."

"Yeah well, what if I die tomorrow? I don't want to have any regrets, this is once in a lifetime," she says pointing down the rocks.

"Yeah a lifetime that is about to be dwarfed or continue on with us being severely disfigured." She swings her backpack onto the front of her body and places her figurine into the small zippered compartment, holds onto Alex and descends the first jagged step. Alex places both of her hands on Piper's shoulders steadying herself to get onto the same step as Piper and they make their way down the rugged terrain, passing the "No Visitors Beyond This Point" sign and arrive an hour later as close as they can get to the flames. Illuminating blue flames shot up from the ground against the contrast of the blackened sky, she feels the squeeze of Alex's arm around her waist; she felt like she was on another planet, in a different world.

They stay crouched below the rest of the world for an hour's time in awe of the space around them, ignoring the occasional other brave/asinine soul who managed to make it down there. They climb up before the sun rises over the fluorescent green acid lake settling their heads on the backpack to take in the scenery.

"Thanks for coming with me," Alex says while nudging Piper with her hip.

"Oh for the little pre-sunrise warm up?," she laughs, "no problem. I feel kind of ignorant, I never even knew this existed."

Alex doesn't comment, she lays her head on Piper's shoulder and rests her eyes. Piper clasps her hands across her stomach and watches the sky become lighter and lighter and wakes Alex up to watch the colors shine over the lake.

They descend back down the mountain, while Alex stops to ask a local for directions to any form of transportation, while Piper grabs a satay from a food truck. Alex beckons for her to come near while Piper finishes ripping the meat off her stick.

"Where'd you get that?," she asks cautiously but also with a twinge of jealousy as she's starving.

"That cart," she points to the truck driving away, "you said the best satay's were from Java, no?"

"Not off a truck Piper, you couldn't wait til we got somewhere with a sink?"

The trek back towards the more populous streets of Java were derailed by the constant musical grumbling of Piper's intestinal tract,

"Are you gonna puke?," Alex asks Piper as the blonde grips her stomach.

"No, other end," she screamed worriedly as she darted off into a field and popped a squat into the high grass bushes beside a local home, drawing the attention of many Javanese villagers who stood by and watched her poop.

Alex took her to the infirmary on the ground level of their hotel to see if there was anything she could do besides stand by and ride out the unavoidable stomach virus, but she was told time and a BRAT diet, "bananas, rice, apples, tea and toast," was the only remedy. "Brat diet," Alex thought to herself as she laid on the floor beside Piper, who had banished her from the bed earlier, how ironic.

"If you hadn't told me Java's satay's were the best, I wouldn't have grabbed one!," she snapped at her in uncomfortable pain, as she turned away from Alex's hand that that tried to rub her tummy soothingly.

"Do not even try to blame this on me, like it's my fault you jumped at the first sight of food like a damn vulture."

She walked over to the other side of the bed to face Piper, when the blonde turned away from this side as well,

"screw this then take care of yourself," Alex said walking out of their room and into darkness of sitting room to catch up on some work. Between the early morning wake up, the trek and her body failing to fight off the virus, Piper finally passed out, completely exhausted and Alex took her audible snores as a sign that she could safely return to their room. She checked on the blonde, placing a feather light touch to her forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever before laying a pillow on the floor beside her and went to sleep.

The journey from Java to Thailand remained tense as Alex was swamped in plans, and was forced to neglect Piper to explore on her own. Piper's phone buzzes alerting her she has a message from Polly inquiring about when they're expected back so that she can make an appointment to go dress shopping. She fills Polly in on her latest itinerary and when she's expected to make it home.

"Did you guys set a date?"

"Next October, it's off season so the cost is just slightly less barbaric. I think we're going with orange and purple, I'm sending you pics of things I'm looking at, check your inbox."

"Alex hasn't set up her computer here yet and I don't know if I'm supposed to be here or not, I don't want to go to the front desk."

"Well can you get to a computer?"

Piper walks through the dead heat of the overly packed floating market in Bangkok, sipping what must be her 50th cup of cha yen since they arrived in Thailand a week ago. She manages to get through the crowd and settles in an internet café, and browses through the dresses Polly sent her via email. Another email arrives a minute later pleading with Piper to help narrow her options for bridesmaid's dresses before she shows them to the rest of her bridal party. Piper replies when another email with dozens of links of different bouquet combinations using purple and orange flowers pops up. Polly makes fun of herself at the bottom and says she could also send emails with wedding officiant's, song choices for reception introductions and their first dance, and entrée choices but she'll try to refrain until she sees her.

She makes her way back to her room and is surprised to see Alex in their room pacing, "where were you?"

"I just went to chat with Polly, whats wrong?"

"Nothing, I just didn't know...nevermind," she said frowning, "wanna go to the parade?"

"What parade?"

"The new years parade, Songkran?," Alex says in a thick Thai accent.

"Is that what that is? I kept hearing people say it, but I just thought it was a common Thai word." "Yeah, you wanna go?"

The blonde grabs her purse and heads for the door when Alex tells her to go put something else on, something she doesn't care about while she tucks her purse away.

Alex stops at a vendor a few streets over from the parade and gets them two massive water guns, "kob kun," she tells the owner, nods slightly and exits pulling Piper behind her.

She bends down to fill their water guns from a bucket outside the shop and hands the first to Piper.

"What do you speak 16 languages?," she asks Alex.

"No I speak four words of 16 languages, 'bathroom, help, water and thank you,' very important."

She screws the cap onto her water gun and squirts Piper playfully, finally breaking the tension between them. She takes her hand and walks her to down to Khao San road to join the crowd for the parade; and there is water everywhere. Water being thrown at the young and the old, from guns, buckets, in forms of foam, out-of-elephants-trunks. Piper marvels at the majestic creatures parading up the street. It's celebratory and happy, people are soaked to the core, a small buckets worth of water is hurled through the air and soaks the blonde down her down her back. They shoot their water straight into the air and let it fall on them like rain. They're both drenched with sopping wet shoes before they duck out underneath the crowd; Alex orders them real "Pad Thai and two cups of Tom Yam Goong," and they people-watch the passersby into the evening.

She stands behind Alex among thousands of others, locals and tourists alike, waiting by the water for the pyrotechnical extravaganza. Alex stands with her hands in her pockets and looks around, Piper notices how tired her eyes look and wishes she had more time off with her to have more days like this. She presses her body against Alex's back, and snakes her arms through Alex's arms. She rests her chin on her shoulder and blows a loose strand of dark brown hair away from her neck before planting a kiss on Alex's hot sweaty skin. She feels Alex rest her head against her and sighs. Piper closes her eyes tight and tries to make a memory of how amazing she feels in this exact moment, safe against the tall protective frame, while being full of Thai cuisine, still soaked down to her underwear as the sound of fireworks explode over their heads.

They hop from Thailand to Cambodia, and Alex is consumed by the glowing screen of her computer for hours upon hours of everyday, taking phone calls into other rooms so that her work and Piper remain two separate entities. She is able to spend the occasional morning with the blonde on the beach or in the cool shade of the Angkor Wat temple. Some day's she's gone before Piper wakes up and returns after she's gone to bed. Piper barely sees her for the next few days, but knows she comes back at night by the warmth of her skin in the bed, or a strand of hair left behind on her pillow. The blonde tries to distract herself by looking up information on local attractions that she can see on her own, or by watching tv in foreign languages, making up her own dialogue. Alex informs her after weeks of brutally long hours, that they could go home early, or stop somewhere else just the two of them, if she wants, on the way.

They lay out on the chaise lounges atop the deck of their hilltop villa at the Four Seasons in the Seychelle's. They make love on every imaginable surface, unable to fuck for it's impossible to have that kind of energy when you're this relaxed. Late morning daily massages after room- service breakfasts of fresh mango and jackfruit, are mixed into the late afternoon sunset walks along the beach. They've run out of clean clothes, Piper gathers their laundry one morning while Alex eyes her lying serenely among the 500 thread count cotton sheets and tells her that work of any kind is not allowed here and tells her to throw them into the hall. The television is a decoration, cell phones are off limits; their love is rejuvenated, as they absorb every ounce of each other in lost time.

She drops off her suitcases at their apartment and high tails it to meet Polly for a reunion. Alex stays behind, insisting she needs a seven day nap. She is engulfed in the biggest hug from Polly as she's so relieved that her best friend is back and safe, and is then immediately shoved because her skin is blacker than Polly's hard earned tanned skin.

They arrive at the bridal shop for an appointment that Polly scheduled when she found out the day Piper would be back, to try on "two bridal gowns that will defy any pre-conceived notions of the antiquated nature of marriage."

Piper watches the attendant help Polly into a dress that is,

"nice," Piper unenthusiastically states with a small smile.

Polly raises her eyebrows, "and?"

"Completely unexciting," she scrunches up her face apologetically. "Pol it's way too casual, and it looks like a dress you already own in black."

"I'm really comfortable in it though."

"Probably because you already own it?"

"Ok you're probably right. I don't really feel like a bride in it."

She listens from behind the curtain as the attendant helps her friend out of dress number 1 and into dress number 2, which is taking far longer than dress number 1; Piper takes this as a good sign, it should at least be more elaborate. It takes so long that it gives Polly the time to rant about her philosophical discoveries regarding marriage and how she refuses to use traditional vows for she is determined not to "obey" any man for both reasons of personal pride, and out of fear she'd shame any of the seven sisters. Piper nods on the other side of the curtain in mock approval of her friend's new enlightened self.

The curtain is pulled open, and Piper immediately wished it hadn't been. Dress number 2 was the exact opposite of dress number 1; it was so avant-garde that Piper clenched her jaw out of fear it would otherwise hit the floor.

"Can we just have a minute?," she asked the attendant politely, in case the attendant may also be the owner of this store and therefore approved this atrocity to be put on human people. She watched as the lady stepped out of earshot,

"are you trying to channel 'Like a Virgin' Madonna?"

"Piper this dress is..."

"horrendous," she exclaims cutting her off.

"Fuck off, you really don't like it?"

"Not even a little. Polly you're beautiful and this is... oh, it's just not. You waited two months for me for this? Off off off."

Polly wrinkled her brow seconds from protest when she caught herself in the 3 way mirror and started laughing, "who am I kidding?"

"I will not let you walk down the aisle in anything short of stunning, do not worry."

Piper calls the woman back and tells her it's beautiful but not for Polly. The woman helps her get undressed and Polly walks out in civilian clothes. They start walking down the sidewalk, Piper basks in the sights and sounds of New York summer while Polly tries to justify her pending nuptials despite her past views that "marriage is a societal expectation of those who choose to be monogamous, which is already a queer concept in and of itself, do not get me started..."

Piper quietly laughed to herself, her friend was so full of shit, but she had missed the egotistical shrimp so much. Polly had been with Pete before she had met her, she hadn't known them apart, and while she thought it would be a beautiful step for them to seal their love with a marriage license, she couldn't see it for herself. She listened to Polly go on for blocks ignoring the fact that she'd already managed to contradict herself countless amounts of times; she comes full circle and gets back to her ideas including types of wedding dresses and concludes that she wants something completely different than what she thought she wanted and needs to start browsing from scratch. They're gliding down Lafayette when Piper stops dead in her tracks and stares at the notorious black and white poster, with hints of neon, advertising Shakespeare in the Park.

"Tell me that's not Sam Waterston?," she stares into the ad plastered to the side of the telephone booth.

"That's not Sam Waterston."

"Polly that's Sam fucking Waterston, he's gonna be in Much Ado at the Delacourte!"

Polly jumped up and down and stopped abruptly, mocking Piper, "he's been in Much Ado, it started last week Pipes."

"Alex loves Sam Waterston, Pol, she watches him in Law and Order reruns all the time." She places her hands on the edges of the booth, "I have to get tickets."

"You're going to camp out on the sidewalk like a homeless person to get tickets?"

"You should come with me!"

"Three hours of Shakespearian tongue and Supercunt?"

Piper looked at her friend with an endearing smile as Supercunt left her lips. "Tempting offer to be part of your dorkathon, but no thanks."

"I would just like to do something nice for her for a change...and I'm broke, my options are kind of limited."

"You're really going to ditch me for this? I just got you back."

Piper looked at her with a slightly guilty frown as she texts her lover confirming that they'll be free the following night. Polly found it hard to argue when Piper had kept her updated in blips and blurbs of the places Alex had taken her, most of which really were up Piper's alley.

"Fine, I'll sit out with you until I start falling asleep. Can I at least go over some other stuff I looked into while you were adding stamps to your passport?"

"Hey that's not what I was doing," she states offended.

"You weren't island hopping, and letting her buy you pretty little things? Like really, what the fuck is with these earrings? They're gorgeous, I hate her."

Polly lifts her hand and fondles one of Piper's Indonesian pearl cluster earrings. "Don't be jealous, you're getting married."

"She spoils you, and you love it. You can say it, I'm not judging you."

"I do love it, but..."

"See! I knew you did!," gloating, "And besides Pete will never have a woman's taste, soak it up lesbian."

Piper raised her hand, "not that I need to prove anything to you, but I could take her out on the cheap and we'd be fine. I mean the pretty things are welcomed, don't get me wrong, but they're not necessary." Polly raises an eyebrow at Piper not believing a word of what she's saying to her.

How her friend managed to kill her mood about this woman every time she saw her, was beyond her, but she couldn't settle the words that spewed from Polly's big mouth as they somersaulted through her brain; fuck her, Polly didn't know Alex...

* * *

Alex is mid-explanation about needing new mules who are capable of following strict instructions, "the all-American, someone who won't draw attention, essentially the exact opposite of me," since she herself had just been violated thanks to the new post-911 security enforcement.

Piper walks into the bar, the fifth of the day, she glances around the space and decides it's small enough, that she'd be able to handle it on its busiest night.

She glances over at this post-collegiate, free love wannabe, catching her profile just slightly, and it sends tingles down her spine, no, a little lower than that; a little lower. The moisture gathers underneath her dress, she adjusts herself.

She's intrigued by the effect that this angle's just had between her legs, and wants her to turn around to see if her face is as much of a disaster as her wardrobe. She needs a gimmick,

"Hey you, Laura Ingalls Wilder."

She turns... and-shes-beautiful.

"We're skipping America before the apocalypse, wanna come?"

"Sorry?," she sweetly answers, before turning away, re-focused by the bartender/potential future employer.

Alex's eyes bug out of her head and she turns back towards her friends, "jackpot."

Her friend with mocha colored skin looks over her shoulder, "her? uh uh, she's jailbait with zero life experience, no."

"She'll cry going through security," another friend adds causing Alex to almost choke on her beer.

"She's cute," she confesses to her friends, causing a few of them to raise their eyebrows, no one ever caught their friend's eye like this, she got laid on the regular but more so to fill a quota not because of swoon; she subtly glances back over at the blonde, "and I think she just got rejected for her dream job."

"Because she's clueless, let it go Alex."

"Leave her alone, she should go for it," a friend encouraged the more doubtful in the crowd.

"I think she just ordered a fucking margarita," Alex admitted, questioning her taste and making her friends have another laugh.

"Fuck it," she inhaled, stood up and went in for the kill.

Piper felt this alluring beauty slink up beside her, and wasted no time on calling her on her puerility. She had the appeal of defiance, and a brash confidence, that was instantaneously charming.

Then she picked up her resume. WHY!, she wanted to shake her fist to the Gods, why did she have to leave it on the table. She was open prey.

She picked apart her resume and called her on her lies, bullet by bullet. She was cocky and facetious and just borderline degrading, and yet she craved for the brunette to continue; she felt like a masochist.

She looked over her shoulder, is this real life? "So, Piper Chapman..."

She couldn't remember a time where her name sounded so striking. She got lost in the brunette's full red lips and willed them to spill her name again. Her eyes stepped upward and stared at the brunettes perfect nose and then to the mesmerizing eyes behind her mysterious glasses. Her body betrayed her mind, she wanted this woman and now, all she could think about was how her tone was mocking her resume and tearing her apart. She stole it back, dripping with embarrassment, she had to get out of there.

Alex read the turmoil on her face and decided to stop fucking with her before this sweet girl took herself and her soaking wet panties and ran out the door, "I like that in a woman," the girl brought her hand away from her face, save.

This girl was sweet but not innocent enough to have fought the temptation to lie her ass off all over her curriculum vitae. All thoughts of recruiting this girl as a mule, vanished as her eyes lit up and the smile crossed her face, she wanted this girl for herself.

She walked Piper over to her table of friends, shared a few more beers before hitting a different spot. Later in the night she laid her shit bare to make sure the blonde understood she was serious about her job, so if she wanted to go now, the door was open.

"They're all involved?," Piper asks referring to Alex's friends as she bites the inside of her lip.

"In one way or another," she stared into her eyes, curling her lip upward.

Piper was intrigued albeit wary of this beautiful stranger, she couldn't help but long to smack that smirk off her gorgeous face and slip her tongue into her mouth, she didn't care what she was involved in, and definitely didn't have the right mind to think of anything other than those lips, never mind her income.

* * *

She snapped back to Polly's hand shaking her shoulder; maybe she could've once understood her best friends view of Alex, but even after everything she'd told her? She still just saw the exterior of a woman with a lot of sex appeal and a big wallet. She failed to tell her that Alex had grown up with nothing and was afforded the luxuries she surrounded herself with by taking risks every day; this was something Alex confided in her in faith, and she chose not to share it with Polly feeling it was none of her business. Piper grew up affluent and was no stranger to the five star hotel or dinner served via white glove, but when she was among her family, she felt dragged into the circumstance and they took advantage of these luxuries because they could, to establish their status. With Alex, there was a different appreciation for the finer things, a sense of pride, accompanied all of the brunette's choices, they were well thought out, researched. But while Piper thought that Alex wouldn't hold herself above being the recipient of a cheap date, Piper wondered if they'd have a good time sans the champagne and caviar.

Polly accompanies Piper to her and Alex's place to grab some things for the evening of living on the street. Alex gropes her at the door as Piper giggles into her neck and tells her "Polly is in the hall."

"So?"

She swats her on the ass and saunters off into their bedroom to grab a pillow and shoves some things into the pillowcase.

She returns with an armful of souvenirs for Polly, kisses Alex long and hard and tells her she'll be back tomorrow afternoon.

Piper swings her pillowcase over her shoulder, really rocking the hobo look and goes uptown with Polly so she can now drop off all her presents and "get something to kill time with."

She comes back out of her apartment with a large white binder, and Piper looks at her with shifty eyes, "Oh what the hell is that?"

Polly goes into hysterics flipping through "the wedding binder," complete with individual tabs to separate the different categories.

Piper's eyes go wide and guffaws as she looks on through literally hundreds of pages, "Oh God, okay, well this will definitely kill time." Polly tucks the binder under arm and they head to the park to reserve a space in line. Piper looks on page by page making notes, approving and eliminating dresses, hairstyles, foods, and gives Polly a lot of credit for doing so much of this daunting work on her own. She dedicates hours of undivided attention, getting lost in wedding plans and really is genuinely so excited for Polly to make this commitment to the man she loves. Well after midnight she divulges that she really wants to take Alex on a memorable date around the city but will have to do it on a tight budget. Polly listens as her friend rattles off idea's, her face is excited, illuminated by the harsh lighting of the park lamp, and she realizes despite how many days her friend spent alone in a hotel room while Supercunt went off devising mobster tactics, her friend was in still deeply in love with her.

Polly stayed with Piper until the sun came up; she knew she just survived months in foreign countries surrounded by Alex's illegal ways, but this was Central Park and she didn't want to leave her out there alone. She applauded the blonde for being willing to endure another 7 hours until the tickets would be issued, and Piper really felt the boredom while she waited alone among other psychotic theater enthusiast's. 1pm rolled around, she got her pair of tickets and trudged home. She leaned over Alex who was reading a book laying out on their couch, and dangled the tickets in close proximity to her face, as the brunette did half a year ago, "wanna be my date?"


	13. Chapter 13

13

The brunette raised her glasses on her head, in an attempt to focus on the offer dangling in front of her eyes. Her green-grey's scanned over the pair of tickets before gently taking the tickets from Piper. She tilted her head back, and looked at the blonde upside down,

"Did you sleep out to get these?," she asked with amusement in her voice.

Piper nodded and hugged her around the neck from behind, slightly embarrassed that she'd just spent close to 16 hours waiting for tickets to please the brunette. She plants a small kiss on top of the dark haired head, "some cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."

Alex's eyes instantly widened aroused by Piper's scholarly ability to recite prose from her most coveted writers. She replaced her glasses and turned around, leaning her elbows on the arm of the couch; she was met with a clever smirk.

She wanted to inquire whether the blonde felt that she'd been hit by an arrow or had fallen into a trap she'd laid over a year ago, but she resisted and just assumed the latter.

"For which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?," she asks the blonde, quirking an eyebrow while seductively stroking herself.

Piper wickedly chortles, oh Alex Vause, where would I even begin?, she thinks to herself, but continues with her recitation,

"for them all together, which maintained so politic a state of evil that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them: but for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?"

"Suffer love," Alex laughs, "a good epithet! I do suffer love indeed...," but she abruptly stops, and doesn't finish the line. She instead hangs her head and scratches her forehead, turning away.

Piper leans herself over Alex pulling the brunette's chin towards her face, "...for I love thee against my will!," the blonde continues immediately, as the continuation ironically pertains to her. She cannot help but be constantly smitten with the woman who playfully abuses her. "I do love nothing in the world so well as you," she shakes her head aware of how absurd her feelings are and seats herself on the edge of the solid mahogany coffee table, "is not that strange?"

Alex lets a single chuckle of nervous laughter escape her lips well aware that this is no ordinary love, "thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably."

She glides her legs around the small of Piper's back entrapping her, and the blonde allows herself to be pulled forward onto Alex's body.

"Touché," she replied exhaustedly both from the sleep deprivation and her attempt to keep up with her quick witted, arrogant, beloved courter. She leans her forehead onto the brunette's shoulder, pressing her body into the comforting embrace of the long legs and arms that surround her. She closes her eyes.

She hums into the blonde's neck amused by her pursuit to recite Shakespearian dialogue and by the younger woman's self-proclaimed defeat. "Are you hungry?," she asks fully aware of the double meaning, she kisses her just under hear ear.

"Uhn, uhn," Piper sleepily declines mumbling through closed lips.

She's roused somewhat roughly as Alex removes her from her lap and onto the couch, "well aren't we strong willed to be able to refuse the temptation of the forbidden fruit?,"

"What? No!," she protests with a whine, more for the disengagement of the other woman's embrace, "I misunderstood, come back," she internally curses her fatigue.

Alex returns a moment later with a throw blanket over her arm, and admires the sleeping blonde. She lays the blanket over Piper slightly startling her. Piper wraps her arms around the hovering woman and pulls her closer and starts kissing her passionately. She feels Alex's lips spread into a smile and the adept hands start to find her way under her shirt.

"I need to shower," the blonde states gently grasping Alex's wrist and pushes it away, self- conscious about how potentially putrid her scent is after spending the night laying on cement in the boiling New York sun.

"That's not a requirement," Alex replies dragging her nails up Pipers leg into her shorts causing Piper to release the desire that she'd been holding within. She notices the blonde's slight smile through her fatigue. Alex laughs through her nose at how limp the blonde beneath her appears. She plants a soft kiss to her lips and lifts herself off the couch.

"Mmmm," Piper begins to whine in protest again, waving an arm above her head seeking the brunette.

"Rest Pipes, I'll be here when you wake up."

"No, now," she grumbles with wrinkled eyebrows, raising her arms over head and rubs her foot up and down her opposite leg.

"I'm not into necrophilia, have you no self-control?," she asks rhetorically patting the blonde's center and walks away.

She awakens to the same feeling she felt before falling asleep, Alex's hands glide over her breasts from behind her; she smiles and opens her eyes to meet the upside down, fully made up face of Alex complete with thick black eyeliner and delicious red lips.

"Hello date," she inhales Alex's perfume and turns to her side, she eyes the brunette's vintage navy blue summer dress with yellow detailing, her hair is pinned half up. Her smile widens at the vision standing before her, noting she is just slightly overdressed for an evening of outdoor theater.

"What?," Alex asks her looking down over her attire, "too much?"

"A little," she says standing up and rolls the blanket, tucking it under her arm, "but keep it, you look really nice." She savored Alex's subtle signs of excitement at their impending date; in the entirety of their relationship, Piper had never taken her out. She felt slightly guilty at this realization and it deepened knowing she was going to need to pull this off with essentially no budget.

"Tonight's on me," she told Alex as she walked over to the brunette's bag and removed her metal case where she kept her money, "and if you'd be so inclined, I'd like to try to stretch this 'Piper charms Alex date' through the weekend."

Alex allowed a half smile to form at Piper's attempt to take charge and nodded.

"You can't judge me though," Piper shoved the blanket into a tote bag and hung it on the front door, "I don't exactly have a job so no lobster dinner or any fancy shit. We're slummin' it, alright?"

Alex laughed out, "deal."

Piper swipes her metrocard and pushes Alex through the turnstile to make their way uptown for an early dinner. They're seated in a neon green hole in the wall and devour countless amounts of uniquely stuffed empanada's at $2.50 a pop. They stroll further up and walk through Central Park towards the lake, where Piper rents one of the last boats and paddles them around the water. They linger under the bridge for a while and watch the sun reflecting against the shiny glass of the skyscrapers, as the colors above them grow deeper. She back paddles until she's lined the boat with the dock and steadies the boat with the oar and gets out, holding it in place while helping Alex get onto the dock. They strolled hand in hand and climbed the steps of Belvedere Castle. Alex ran her hand along the stone admiring the architecture, pausing halfway up to lean the blonde against the cool rocks to steal a kiss. They completed their ascent and Piper pointed out the stage from over the edge, Alex pressed her body behind her and saw the crowd begin to gather and take their seats.

"We should go," Alex said taking Piper by the hand and took a step toward the stairs, when Piper pulled her back and kissed her hard, allowing her hands to graze her thighs underneath the navy blue dress. She broke the kiss, and pointed with her eyes to a higher tower of the castle, "if you were locked up there would you want me to come and rescue you?," she asked her in her best bad porno voice.

Alex guffawed, slipping her knee between the blonde's legs and advanced upwards. Piper caught her knee and pressed it down, "would you?," she breathed out.

Alex was surprised by the kinkiness in her voice, but continued on with Piper's game. She cupped the blonde's face but noticed her eyes went wide, she looked over her shoulder, noticing some people had come up to their level and were walking around. Alex instantly became more turned on by the audience, while Piper pushed her hands away.

"Pipes?," she tried to fight her smile, and redirect the blonde's attention, entirely amused at how shy she became when she thought people could see.

"Sorry, I just had this whole Art Frahm, helpless woman fantasy. I was gonna mess with you out here, but I can't," the blonde said uncomfortably.

"Pervert," she said staring right into her eyes, still leaning her up against the stones. Piper looked really exposed Alex observed and rubbed her thumb along the inside of her wrist, "just wait a minute," she whispered into Piper's ear, "they're almost gone." She felt the blonde's pulse racing underneath her thumb.

"How do you like that?," she said relaxing a little as the people descended down the stairs and out of sight.

"I don't need a congregation, it's just the rush behind being sensual in an open space," she said wiggling her shoulders. She went along with Piper's little fantasy for now she was aroused at the prospect of a quickie with the blonde with or without spectators. She lifted her knee back between the blonde's legs, "now, where were we?," she said, her voice thick with lust, "oh, I think you were about to tell me how you were fantasizing that I'd drop my drawers just as a gust of wind happened to float on by?"

The blonde was still uneasy, "stop it Alex, I can't," she said still hiding behind the taller woman.

The brunette traced her fingers, gently up Piper's thigh, noticing the blonde glancing over her shoulder, still worriedly; her hand was met with wetness, "uh, I believe you can...," she wiggled her wet fingers in front of the blonde before she locked her wrists over her head and moaned out, "save me."

Piper met Alex's eyes, her pupils were widely dilated. She slowly pushed her hand back underneath the brunette's dress and fondled her through her underwear rapidly.

Alex leaned into her harder, and repeated the motion against the blonde. She shut her eyes tight as she got closer, her humming could be heard deep in her throat. She opened her eyes as she felt her orgasm pending, catching Piper's wide eyes darting wildly. As she felt her knees weaken, she grabbed onto the blonde's hip and came against her hand. "Close your eyes," she continued to ferociously rub the blonde as she heard Piper whimper, beginning her climb. "Help meeee," she tried to whisper sexily into the blonde's ear, but chuckled instead breaking Piper out of her trance.

"Alex c'mon," she whined and stamped a foot, frustrated; she wanted to go downstairs, but she wanted Alex more, and now she felt like she was being teased.

"Hurry up, we're gonna miss the show," she said to Piper. She tried to get back into her role, "I was naughty, maybe you should lock me up in that tower," she fought back her laughter successfully this time, "teach me a lesson." She could tell Piper was still distracted and she really wasn't into this, but she didn't want her to be opposed to trying to get off in communal spaces in the future, so she sucked hard against the blonde's neck, making Piper's knees buckle and rubbed her clit rapidly in fast circles. She pulled her tongue into her mouth as she came, stifling the blonde's primal, loud moan, and dragged her down the stairs toward the theater.

"I hate you," Piper yelled at her laughing down the stairs, she shakes her body as if she has chills.

"Mmm, hmm," Alex replied, "we might need to re-visit your whole kinky damsel in distress thing later on."

The usher shows them to their seats, they chatter flirtatiously in the open air, "I approve of this date so far."

The fluorescent lights dim and Leonato, Hero, Beatrice and the messenger walk onto the stage. The audience starts clapping, and Alex squints some trying to figure out who just walked out onto the stage; her eyes go wide, and she leans into Piper, "is that Sam Waterston?," she asks whispering. Piper turns to her and smiles an exaggeratingly wide toothy smile. She slaps Piper's leg and starts fangirling, while Piper rests her elbow on her knee and covers her mouth with her hand, beside herself with the way that Alex is dorking out. "Effing best date ever," she whispers to the blonde and smacks a wet kiss on her cheek. Alex showed her appreciation all night long, but at Piper's request, from behind their bedroom door.

They exit the turnstile, late afternoon, after a morning of sensual caresses under the soft black satin sheets. Salt water, popcorn and Nathan's famous hot dogs consumed their senses as they walked over the old gum stained sidewalks and leaned up against the gate of the Coney Island Cyclone. Alex's head tilted all the way back, eyes tracking the coaster fly over the wooden track,

"Piper it's swaying!," she said through nervous laughter, apprehensive to get in line.

"It's historic, it's just part of its character," the blonde replied, grabbing both of Alex's hands, leaning into her from behind. She kissed the back of her head and ran her hand over Alex's low ponytail.

She walked behind Alex, her fingers hooked into the belt loops of the brunette's high waisted vintage floral shorts, as the brunette read the plaque along the gate, "or it may be swaying because it's been here since 1927."

"You need to ride it," the blonde said adamantly. "They threaten to shut it down every year. What if you die tomorrow?," she used Alex's argument against her, "besides, do you want to be the only New Yorker who has to tell their grandkids, 'oh yeah, the cyclone, I remember that coaster, the whole world said it was the best ride but I was too much of a pussy to ever check it out,' the blonde teased in a geriatric voice.

Alex looked over her shoulder and smirked at the blonde at her pathetic attempt to persuade her. "Your argument is compelling, really," she looked back up at the next coaster that came around the curve and walked along the gate listening to the riders scream. She listened to the excited chatter as people exited, and looked at Piper with dread as another person came through the exit in tears.

Piper broke their contact and bought two tickets from the booth. She handed one to Alex, "seven dollars of my life savings, don't disappoint me."

Alex snatched the ticket from her, "is that what my life is worth to you?," she asked, as she got in line, the blonde following behind her.

"Don't be so dramatic," the blonde teased, "I think only two or three people have died on this ride and it's been open for almost a hundred years, you have good odds."

Alex hip checked Piper for trying to freak her out again, not realizing the blonde was serious.

They settled into the cushioned leather of the cart; Piper slipped her foot through the loop of her purse and pulled the lap bar down over their legs. Alex gripped the metal bar in front of her with both hands, while Piper rubbed her legs rapidly as the coaster left the platform and made its first curve before the ascent. The cart shook as the chain pulling the coaster climbed it's biggest hill; Alex crossed an arm over her breasts while Piper laughed out at her girlfriend's chest bouncing with every plank of wood the coaster crossed.

"You're gonna want to hold on with both hands," Piper said as she raised both of her arms in the air, nearing the top. She enjoyed throwing her cyclone riding, veteran status in the normally arrogant brunette's face.

Alex put both of her hands up as the coaster rounded the top of the hill looking out to the Atlantic Ocean, Piper interlocked her fingers with the hand that skimmed hers in the air and she felt Alex grip it tight. "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit," the brunette screamed as they roughly propelled down the steep hill, their asses leaving the seat, bodies solely being held in by the 77 year old bar across their legs. She re-gripped the metal bar in front of her as the cart whipped around the first turn causing the accessory, that held her ponytail, to fly out of her hair onto the ground somewhere below them. She looked over at her hollering lunatic of a girlfriend before shutting her eyes tight as they went over a second hill and shot downward again. The coaster travelled the track, determined to dis- align her vertebrae and then stopped abruptly at the platform throwing their bodies forward and then slamming them back.

She climbed out of their cart, and walked down the ramp, holding onto the metal fence until she was safely out of the confines of the gate and onto the sidewalk,

"there's something wrong with you kid," she said putting a hand over her heart, "I ought to have you committed."

Piper hooked her arms around the brunette's neck and raked her fingers through Alex's now wild hair.

"I'm all about trying something once, but to do that again and again," she said pointing at the coaster and then to Piper, "...nut house resident status."

Piper laughed maniacally, "where's your hair tie?"

Alex threw her arms toward the sky in the direction of the coaster, "somewhere in the heavens of the Cyclone."

They walked down the boardwalk, stopping to sit on a bench to people-watch while setting down their armful of theme park snacks. They set their feast of popcorn, a single hot dog, fries and lemonade down, along with the spare change and napkins. Piper dug Alex's ringing phone out of her purse and handed it to her. The brunette stood up slowly while flipping it open; she ran a finger under Piper's jawline, accepted the single french fry offering and stepped away nibbling at it. After a few minutes Piper sighed, turning her hip on the bench in search of Alex, finally spotting her to the side of Shoot the Freak. The brunette took slow long steps in one direction, her thumb hung loosely on the pocket of her shorts, she pivoted and changed directions. Piper could she see her furrowed eyebrows, she was plotting, though fighting to concentrate; she caught the taller woman shoot an annoyed glance at the idiots trying to fire a gun at a frolicking imbecile. She shut the phone with the hand that held it and looked up forcing a small smile as she caught the blonde staring at her. She returned to the bench, accepting another fry from the blonde,

"do we have to go?," the blonde asked, accustomed to the fact that gallivanting with her was not Alex's first priority.

She rubbed the blonde's exposed leg soothingly and shook her head, "no," she whispered drawing her knee up to her chest.

"What happened then?," she asked damning her curiosity. Deep in her gut, perhaps even her lower intestine, is where she preferred keep the reality of Alex's ludicrous affairs but she couldn't fight her inquiry when she noticed Alex stretch her thumb and pointer over the length of her eyebrows, trying to maintain her composure.

"Nothing kid," she paused, "work shit," she said before opening her mouth as Piper fed her another fry.

"Tell me," she said retracting the crinkled potato, "I want to know."

She pressed her lips together and nodded. Piper re-offered the fry, Alex took it between her teeth and chewed, while taking the napkin Piper used to clean her hands and wiped her mouth, crumpling it in her hand.

"Fahri just called me bragging that one of 'mine,'" she made quotation marks with her fingers, "decided to dip into our product on her way back from Maylasia and got herself into...," she grabbed her skull with tense fingers, "let's just say a shitastic situation that I get to clean up after."

Piper looked at Alex, and tilted the cup of lemonade toward the seething brunette; she roughly pushed the cup away from her face exhaling loudly as if this was an audacious gesture, "can you get a fucking clue?"

Piper placed the lemonade between her knees, trying to concentrate on the condensation that dripped down the yellow wax cup and not at the burn she felt in her eyes. While not immune, she had become accustomed to being affronted by Alex's wise cracks, but had not been on the receiving end of a ruthless act of blatant disrespect. She willed the pockets of her lower eyelids to hold out as they became fuller with her salty weakness; she sat on her hands and straightened her spine trying to keep her posture stoic while the sense of worthlessness pulsed underneath her skin.

"So, where do you wanna go now?," the brunette asked carelessly breaking the silence. The dam of her eyelids gave at the futile tone behind the brunette's words. The complexity of Alex's situation dominated the mediocrity of her entire date, stomping its giant leaden foot cracking the fragile glass of her joy that was created in their time together; she was fully aware of this though remained ignorant to the majority of the finer details,but it didn't need to be thrown in her face.

Alex caught the salty tear, that hit Piper's thigh, out of the corner of her eye, she cursed her capricious manner,

"hey," she turned Piper's chin toward her and looked at her repentantly, but the blonde pulled away. "Pipes?" she tried to get her to look at her face but the blonde just raised her hand wishing to be left alone.

Fuck, the brunette thought to herself feeling shameful for making the girl cry. She scooped up the spare change and walked down the boardwalk checking the coin slots of various payphones until she had a dollar.

She tightrope walked over to the blonde who was about to shove a handful of popcorn into her mouth, and squatted down in front of her to hand her an inflated plastic flower. Piper's lips turned up into a smile as she extended her foot, knocking the brunette off balance, causing her to fall on her ass. She threw the handful of popcorn at the brunette and took the flower indicating that the brunette was forgiven. Alex leaned back on her palms, swaying her knees back and forth, "so where do you wanna go now?," she re-asked in a genuine tone.

Piper shrugged, "freak show?"

"Are you telling me I am one, or asking if I want to watch one?"

Piper laughed, "watch."

They admired the contortionist, the woman with a snake tongue, the man that was born without arms, and a sword swallower before Alex once again found herself being talked into getting onto another ancient ride, "this one is even older!," she stared wide eyed at the historical sign that read it was built in 1920. The sat in the caged compartment as the handler closed the door and they started moving up. They sat opposite each other, Alex looked out the side at the people below them on the beach, when the car started to slide, picking up speed until it swung out to the edge of the wheel.

"Holy shit, you're seriously on a mission to give me diarrhea today!"

Piper came over and sat beside her as they continued their circle around the wheel. They bid adieu to the chaos of the theme park and got off the subway to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, taking in the views of the downtown Manhattan skyline. They stood on the wooden planks of the footbridge while Piper leaned into Alex from behind and slipped a hand under her shirt. She caressed her chest but started chuckling shortly thereafter. She withdrew her hand, holding a piece of popcorn between her fingers and fed it to Alex before walking the length of the rest of the bridge and headed back to their neighborhood.

"So there's a double feature at this drive-in that I used to go to in high school or we can watch a movie here in the park," she turned away from the laptop, looking over her shoulder toward Alex relaying their options.

She walked up behind the blonde, "so I can see two movies and make out with you from the comfort and privacy of my own car or I can ravage you on a blanket in the park while a shit-ton of people watch me?," she said obviously more enticed by the latter option, wanting to take advantage at worrying the blonde still freshly embarrassed from their PDA from the night before. The blonde looked at her pleadingly, sorry she even gave the exhibitionist a choice.

"Drive-in it is," she said relieving Piper.

Alex looked on amused as Piper drove her car with extreme caution up the Westside highway, and onto the New York state throughway all the way to the Fair Oaks Drive In. They watched Million Dollar Baby followed by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, only playing intermittent tonsil hockey, having been completely absorbed by both films. They drove through the deserted looking town and parked outside the only open diner. They talked about the films for hours over a breakfast dinner of midnight waffles and coffee, discussing the notion of having memories extracted from your brain, relating to the significance of "meet me in Montauk," for they both understood how much weight experiencing a destination with another person could bear, of how inevitable the strength of a connection to another human being could be.

Piper paid and opened the door for Alex, her jaw dropped when the curb of the street was empty.

"Dude where's my car?," Alex laughed at her own pun, "the kid in that movie is so damn obnoxious."

"Alex, seriously, where is your fucking car? What if someone stole it?"

"Pretty sure the big bad villagers of Middletown didn't steal my car. It probably got towed," she said calmly pointing to the sign that said they couldn't park there after 8 P.M., "stupid small town rules."

"You're not mad?," Piper asked.

"No, it's not your fault," she reassured her, even though it was, "I'll just call to find out where it got towed."

Alex hung up her phone and turned to Piper who was pacing guiltily on the sidewalk, "so?" "It's at a lot... 40 miles from here," she said emotionless, "it's going to be $150.00."

"What?!," Piper exclaimed angrily. "Al, I'm sorry, can I call a cab to take us and I'll pay you back?"

"Well I usually keep a hundo stashed under the roof of my trunk but other than that I don't have any money Pipes, remember, 'Piper charms Alex' weekend," she smiled weakly trying not to reproduce the tears she'd seen earlier on the boardwalk.

"Fuck, okay," she ran her hands through her hair, "think," she walked around circling the same square of sidewalk, "I can call my brother."

"Okay?"

"My parents live a little over an hour from here, he can meet us to get your car." She dialed her brother who was clearly drunk and at a rager, but was able to figure out that she was in the town where the drive-in they frequented throughout high school was. He grabbed a friend who was more sober and said he'd meet her as soon as he could. She waited with Alex on the steps of the diner,

"you're sure you're not mad?"

"mmm hmm, had a great weekend, minus a hiccup or two." If she was going to be honest with herself, it was the first time someone had gone out of their way to take her on a date. She had always thoroughly enjoyed wining and dining the ladies, but it had been a new feeling to spoil someone she loved and now that she'd been taken out, feel loved in return. At the moment she was impressed with how quickly Piper suppressed her panic and figured out a plan.

The '72 Chrysler Town and Country that had reliably gotten her to and from high school senior year, and not so reliably from Northampton to her parent's house during college breaks, pulled up to the curb. She convinced her brother's friend to go inside to get some food and coffee and that she'd be back with the car as soon as possible, she slithered the money her brother brought from his back pocket and told Alex to get in. She sped quickly toward the tow lot,

"so this is how you actually drive?"

"Uh, I would never drive your car at this speed. My Flintstone car is not really worthy of any comparison to yours."

"As evidenced by the mismatched Toyota Corolla floor mats."

"I try to keep it classy."

She waited in the tow office as Alex's car was pulled up to the gate. She threw herself over the hood and hugged the metal, relieved it hadn't been damaged. Alex followed her back to the diner, where she gave the keys back to her brother, kissed him on the cheek thanking him and made him swear not to tell their parents that she was back.

As Alex drives them back to the city, Piper glances over at the brunette and realizes that 2 days of taking her out, or any amount of dates, will never express how grateful she is for everything she's done for her. Over the next few days, Alex openly confides that she is going out trying to recruit another person or two to replace the ignoramus that failed to follow her directions. She's leaving for Belgium in another two weeks and the stress and tension of turning out a new mule, heighten with each date that creeps closer to her departure. She doesn't ask the blonde to come with her this time and Piper wonders if she's forgotten to ask or just assumes she'll accompany her. She feels anxious at the thought of being left alone again after being by Alex's side for so many hours of each day as of late, even if many hours of those days are spent staring at the brunette's back like she's doing right now. The brunette laboriously types at her computer, raising her glasses on her head and peers over her notes. She cradles her head in her hands unable to figure out what to do when she hears Piper,

"Al?," she says standing up.

"Hmm?," she asks, her head still resting in her hands.

"I could do it," she says noting the juvenility in her voice.

"Do what Pipes?"

"The run," she swallows hard, pausing for a moment and nods, "I want to do the run."


	14. Chapter 14

14

The brunette's breath catches in her throat, her shoulders remain still. She lifts her head slowly from the grasp of her own hands, and realizes she's not breathing, she lets out the air trapped in her chest. She replaces her glasses on the bridge of her nose and slowly turns over her shoulder. Her arms cross over her chest her hand covers her mouth,

"what?," asked the woman who had taken her with her to the other side of the world simply as a companion. The same woman who lavished her with some of the finest hotels she had ever been privileged to stay in, and provided her with premium cuisine and liquors. She'd never forget the mix of terror and ferocity that consumed Alex's face when she jumped off the edge of that waterfall. She'd thrived off of attending to Piper, whether the motive was to protect her prized possession versus genuinely caring for her; it wasn't relevant she decided, she was fine with either, because she was confident that Alex wouldn't let anything happen to her ... in other words, she'd taken care of her, in the best way she knew how, surely she could do this for her.

"I can help you, I mean you're down a soldier right?"

She smiled at her naivety, "it's not that simple," she whispered.

"Then fill me in on the complexity," she challenged in an obvious attempt to gratify the brunette.

She was flattered by the offer, but her pessimism overrode the blonde's sudden need to prove her gallantry, "there's just a lot you need to be able to do," she paused, "and not do for that matter..."

Piper moved her hand in a circular motion, urging the seated woman to get on with it.

"No, Pipes," she stood up from the chair and ran a hand through her hair and walked away. She felt a tight grip on her arm pull her back,

"You go out all day looking for people to travel around the world, to get the job done. I'm right here telling you I can do it and you won't even give me the chance?" Alex opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the now pacing blonde, "you spend all sorts of time on other people teaching them what to do and what not to do, why not me?," she looked herself over trying to justify what was wrong with her, insulted by the other woman's underestimation of her abilities.

"Well for one, you'd need to keep your mouth shut for an entire hour, for which I've yet to experience... you even mutter in your sleep."

"You're such a fucking smart ass."

Alex pursed her lips and thought about how Piper hadn't shied away from as much as she thought she would; she was not the delicate flower she and her friends had initially perceived her to be.

"As fascinating as the trip may be, you need to keep your head down, don't talk to anyone and for fucks sake if I ever let you do this, don't do any of the drugs!," she said angrily as she thought of the demise of her last mule.

"I don't do drugs," she said with offence.

"Um I beg to differ dance dance revolution," she teased knowing full well that Piper would never lay a hand on anything lethal.

Piper stood with her mouth agape astonished, "you gave it to me!," she screeched an octave higher than her voice had been previously.

"You took it! Are you saying you failed to restrain yourself? Don't blame me." "You're an enabler!"

"And you're seducible," she laid out flatly.

"Fuck you," she said exasperated.

Completely satisfied with her innate skill to rile the blonde so easily, Alex compressed her pride, "I'm just saying if I've made this out to be peaches and cream it's not."

"Yeah well the extravagant journeys and your delusions of grandeur have made it really formidable."

"I have a target on the back of my neck Piper...," she saluted the back of her hairline,

"And I have a Macropodus Opercularis on the back of mine," Piper grabbed the nape of her own neck, "that symbolizes one of the best days of my life."

She stared silently at the eager blonde for a long while battling her conscious, "I'd need you to carry a bag," she said reluctantly but without sugar coating.

"Of drugs, right?," she nervously asked not expecting Alex to surrender.

"No," she answered quickly, "just money."

"What do I have to do?"

Alex sat her down over the course of the next few weeks, explaining the absolute dos and don'ts of the operation, " keep the headphones in, read your magazine, don't hold a conversation with anyone for more than five minutes, don't fidget, you make slow movements, don't consume anything that alters your consciousness, you wear nothing that will make you easy to describe."

She spent an ample amount of time rehearsing her character with the blonde in case she was ever stopped at customs. With each day, Piper grew more anxious and had second thoughts about what she'd signed herself up for. Each time they'd review, she settled herself by thinking she was back at school preparing for a role in an upcoming show. She went out with Alex to several different stores in search of a costume to match her character.

They left for Paris on a red eye a few nights later and stayed in a contemporary boutique hotel near the airport. Alex left her for only a few hours to meet up with someone to retrieve the bag that Piper was to carry. The following morning she explained,

"I'm gonna take one of the morning shuttles, these are your plans," she said handing her a small manila envelope and placed it in her black handbag, "your shuttle is at 4P.M, your ticket is on top," Piper listened intently and nodded. "I'll meet you outside the airport, here," she points to a spot on the map of the Brussels airport, she folds it up and placed it into the purse as well, "you just get your bag, go through customs and walk straight out to meet me, okay?" Piper silently nodded and tried to remind herself why she volunteered for this when she could've just stood idly by and let Alex figure out her plans.

They bathed together in the small Parisian hotel room shower. Piper sat in her towel in a daze while Alex moved about the bathroom and got herself ready. She stepped out of the bathroom and saw that Piper hadn't moved, she read the regret on the girls face, she wanted to run. Before the cogs in the blondes brain could continue turning, she snapped her out of it. She took Piper by the hand and stood her up, "let's try all this on."

She helped Piper into her business casual ensemble, and waved the blazer open and closed, fanning the sweat spots that formed underneath the blonde's underarms. She helped apply her makeup and secure her jewelry when she saw the blonde's sweaty hands shaking. She adjusted the wig and straightened the shoulder pads. She asked Piper to hold the bottle of concealer while she unscrewed the top and dabbed some on a triangular sponge,

"It's gonna rub off when I sweat," she said nervously fixing her wig.

"No, it won't, it's waterproof, " she finished dabbing, and lowers the blonde's hands away from her compulsory actions, "stop...so when this dries," she blows softly on the back of her neck, "should be good to go," she reassures her and pecks her on the ear.

"How am I gonna get it off?"

"Acetone," she says shrugging nonchalantly, having covered dozens of tattoos before.

"Alright Alex, I don't," she falters, "I don't know if I can..."

She picks up on the doubt in blonde's tone, no no no, you're not backing out, "hey, hey, hey, hey," she shushes her and grabs her arms, with a firmly solid pressure to calm her, she feels the trembling in the novice's hands and for a brief moment contemplates calling the whole thing off. But she stares at the blonde all made up in the full length mirror and the adrenaline, that always accompanies the blood that rushes through her veins, the moments before her plans are set into motion, starts pumping and her arousal doubles at the prospect of this particular woman following out her course.

"Shh," she holds her tight against her body, making her feel secure and lowers her tone, trying to re-focus the blonde on her character, "you, are a nice young lady, aren't you? A proper young lady," she caresses and cups her breast in an effort to ease the blonde at a touch that is familiar in an unfamiliar setting, "just picking up her sensible bag in the baggage claim, before heading on to her mid-range hotel to go over her schedules, museum visits and fancy dinners."

She turns the blonde around and locks eyes with her. Piper looks into her eyes and gets lost in the gaze, trusting in the confident flickering flame behind the thick black frames.

"It's all fine," she removes her glasses, wanting the blonde to peer into her eyes without any barrier between them, demanding her full attention, "it's all good, and I will meet you in Brussels and everything will work out perfectly, babe. I promise," she lets her hands dance flirtatiously on Piper's hips knowing the blonde can't resist the touch of her hands, "it's all gonna be okay," she kisses her seductively, gathers her personal belongings and heads for the airport.

Almost two hours pass after Piper's expected arrival and the blonde never walks out of the sliding doors of the airport. Alex tries to calm the quickening pace of her heart beat as she parks her rental car in the airport parking lot. She re-freshens her makeup in the rearview mirror, adjusts her glasses and pulls back more of her hair and re-pins it half up in her Fendi belt buckle hair clip.

She exits her vehicle and walks into the Brussels airport where she sees masses of people exiting customs, happily reuniting with their families, being talked into tourist attractions and looking for transportation, but no Piper. She contemplates calling the hotel that she left her at earlier when she feels a similar hand brush her arm and the sweetest voice greet her, "bonjour," she gasps with great relief to see the blonde, "bonjour, welcome to Belgium," she kisses her and realizes she may have kissed her one too many times. "All good?," her hands wander her body unable to control the exorbitant amount of relief she feels at the sight of this girl standing in front of her, in one piece. Piper looks at her just about as relieved to see the mastermind.

She inhales, "I was starting to worry, where did you come from?"

"Over there," she says pointing to a door separating the exit and baggage claim.

"You didn't go through customs?"

"No, I just walked out of that door and it brought me right here."

"You skipped customs!" she chokes back her giddy laughter, she whispers, "holy shit, thats's genius!"

"Well should I go back?," she asks worriedly.

"Fuck no! We're going to the hotel! I'm gonna eat you for dinner," this blonde couldn't make her wetter if she tried. She was stopped in her tracks by a shaking boney hand,

"Alex, I was so freaked out when the bag didn't show up I almost bailed."

"Well it's a good thing you didn't, there's over fifty grand in that bag, Kubra would've had you killed, c'mon!"

"Had-You-Killed," the words stung and felt like the wind was knocked out of her, her feet stood frozen in place as the brunette became smaller and smaller as she walked further toward the exit as the frenzy of travelers hurriedly made their way through the airport and continued to bump into her. She felt a clammy hand grasp around her wrist and drag her through the crowd out into the western European air. She silently rode beside Alex in the rental car, having no recollection of the drive, the walk through the hotel lobby, nor the check in process. The bell from the hotel elevator chimed and she watched the golden door slide open and felt Alex gently push her by the small of her back out into the hallway before walking to their room. She saw the brunette start to smirk as she quirked an eyebrow and slid their room key into the slot before pushing her way in. She swiftly turned around ready to ravage the blonde, but her eyes went wide as she watched the blonde collapse to her knees gripping her chest. She started breathing rapidly, overwhelmed with the burning sensation in her cheeks, she was so hot. The sweat continued to form on her forehead, she pulled the wig off her head and threw it to the side. Alex knealt down beside her, "Pipes, you're okay, slow your breathing," but the blonde's head shook rapidly back and forth and pushed Alex back, "I can't breathe." She placed her hands on her knees to open her ribcage like she was taught to do when she ran track and needed to get more oxygen but it didn't help. She felt the walls of the hotel getting closer and closer, and pulled her arm away as the brunette tried to comfortingly rub her shoulder. She crawled to the bathroom and dry heaved repetitively around the toilet. Alex kneals behind her again on the bathroom floor and rubs her back, Piper wants her off but needs the contact. As the cramping in her chest starts to resolve, she takes a deep breath and holds it, trying to regain her composure.

"Can I get you anything?," Alex asks with genuine concern.

Piper whips around and screams, "you knew if something bad happened, this guy would try to kill me? You're supposed to protect me!"

She went through everything with the blonde, there were no secrets, she knew exactly what her role was, and while she wanted to yell back and throw this in her face, she feared more for the blonde's health and just hugged her tight. Piper struggled underneath her arms while Alex held her tighter and told her to stop fighting, eventually she calmed, went lax in her arms and cried. She laid in the brunette's lap, her arms still tightly around her. Her heart broke, foggy images of any future they had together shattered into a million pieces. She felt taken advantage of, was all of this a ploy? Alex had supervised countless amounts of people go through this and knew how terrifying this could be; if she truly loved me, she wouldn't have let me go. She looked up at the brunette with a look that Alex didn't recognize, she would never be able to see her the same way again. Alex helped her to the bed and undressed her, covering her with a sheet. She ordered room service but couldn't get the blonde to eat anything. She went through the practices she'd known to calm the blonde in the past without success. Piper just stared straight ahead for hours on end barely saying a word. She fell asleep beside the blonde, awaking easily each time the younger woman roused just to see Piper still awake, almost trance-like. She watched her all day as she lethargically changed positions in the bed or made her way to and from the bathroom, still refusing any food. The second night had fallen and Alex typed on her laptop in bed while Piper sat on the edge before standing up and wobbled, holding onto the bed to steady her balance. Alex tossed the laptop aside and held Piper upright,

"you have to eat something Piper."

Piper pulled her head back and stared at Alex, "what's...the point?," she asked her shaking her head."I should turn myself in, I can't walk around out there every day not knowing if they're going to arrest me or do something even worse." She pulled her arm away from Alex and slammed the bathroom door shut, Alex could hear her lock the door.

She went out in search of something to ease the blonde, food, booze, drugs, she didn't care. She couldn't bear to sit beside her zombie of a girlfriend. She returned with the Belgian version of Pepto Bismol, an eyedropper bottle of valerian root and some cookie spread that was loaded with sugar. At least if she didn't eat, she could smear some of the sugary butter across her lips and she wouldn't pass out from hypoglycemia.

"Will you please take this?," she wiggled the bottle of the anti-anxiety herb in the blonde's face.

"What is it? Will it kill me?"

"No," she said abruptly.

"Then don't bother."

"Jesus Piper, stop it. It's an herb, it will calm you down."

"And that?," she asked pointing to the jar of Spekuloos.

"It's some dessert butter made from a cookie."

She unscrewed the cap and pulled back the foil, she dipped her pinky into it and held it to Piper's lips. Piper raised her eyes at Alex, staring daggers into the grey-green orbs, and grasped the brunette's hand, sucking the cookie butter off her finger. Her eyes widened, and she exhaled, "that's delicious." Alex re-dipped her finger in the jar and repeated. She went to the vending machine to get some pretzels in exchange for her hand as a human spoon and fed Piper until the jar was empty before running down to get two more jars.

After much coaxing she convinced her to take some of the valerian root and sat with her out on the balcony of their room.

She has to care about me, she's shown me that time and time again, and I...I asked her to do this, she didn't want me to. She justified as the reel played over and over in her mind, her body was exhausted and her mind was now finally catching up. She stood up and walked across the balcony, slid the door open and stood in the doorway; it felt like eons before anyone had said anything, when she heard the blonde's voice crack, "I will never do that again," and she slid the door closed behind her and settled into their room.

* * *

AN: So I of course wrote this well before season 4, and love that I assumed Alex would never expect Piper to do any hard drugs. When the show writes things that line up with my brain, I get an odd satisfaction!


	15. Chapter 15

15

The sunlight shines off the crossed porcelain legs on the balcony, she watches the brunette's head lean back against the chair allowing her face to soak up the heat. She gently scratches her nails over her entire torso and sits up slowly, she pads over toward the sliding door and taps lightly on the glass.

"Hey," she hears Alex's muffled voice through the barrier, the brunette raises her wrist, her elbow doesn't leave the arm of the chair, her hands gives a slight wave.

Piper pulls open the door.

"I got you some breakfast," she points to the metal covering the plate and a cup of coffee that basks in the sunlight.

Piper takes a seat at the table and removes the metal cover revealing a beautifully large, perfectly fluffy, Belgian waffle covered in powdered sugar and strawberries.

"You slept well," Alex states to her noticing the angst that pulled at the blondes skin the night before is now absent.

Piper places a hand around the mug, allowing the heat to transfer into her palm and throughout her fingers, she feels numb, she seeks feeling of any kind.

Perturbed by the silence Alex speaks to her again, "I'm going across town today, the trip alone is worth it but I can drop you off in the center so you can explore a bit," the blonde doesn't budge, "...or I can come back later and I can go around with you."

Piper stares into the coffee, distracted by the cream separating from the brown liquid. "Or you can stay here."

She's fascinated at the chemistry of the cream once a singular unit, now broken apart scattered, aimlessly floating to separate spaces around the circumference of the cup.

"Piper...," the blonde's eyes peer up to meet the brunette's causing her stomach to swirl uneasily, as the deep blue eyes meet her own, truly, for the first time since her meltdown. There's something missing behind the eyes that are normally filled with wonder and passion: life. She can't place the feeling that she feels throbbing over her body, whatever it is that makes her stomach clench, her thighs contract and relax, her foot bob nervously under the table, but then remembers she felt this way when she saw the girls salty tears release from her bottom lids and fall down her face on the boardwalk during their date. Nothing had even happened to her though and she couldn't understand why she was still behaving this way.

"Can you please not ignore me and eat your breakfast?"

Piper unwraps her cutlery from the cloth napkin and pokes the waffle. She drags it along a pile of sugar and licks the tine, before placing the fork back down, she stares out over the balcony.

Alex exhales quite irritated and retreats into their room eventually heading out. The apathetic behavior continues for days, she finds Piper in different sloth-like positions about the room. She leaves her money on the table by the door and encourages the blonde to leave the room every day to "at least go out for a walk and get some lunch" at one of the neighboring café's. Each day when she returns the money is in the same position it was from the day before; today Piper sits upright in their bed in the dark, she's facing the television, the only light in the room comes from the flickering of the box, her limbs lie at her sides lackadaisical.

The brunette's patience has run its course, "get up! I feel like I'm harboring a fugitive!" The reaction from the blonde warrants immediate regret as her Bambi eyes widen and she starts hyperventilating into the comforter that she brings up to her mouth, "Okay bad choice of words, but you need to get up." Piper slides down further into the bed and lies flat on her back, "are you Purposely slouching down further to spite me?" Piper shakes her head back and forth.

"Oh as I live and breathe it's alive," she says acknowledging the response elicited from the previous catatonic form beside her.

"I'm gonna run you a bath, alright?"

She turns on the water and walks back over to their bed when there's a heavy knock at the door, "open up!"

Alex pounces onto the bed, stifling the scream that Piper was about to let out of her mouth. The thumbs from both of her hands cover Piper's lips and hold her face, "it's one of my friends," the blondes body uncontrollably shakes beneath her, "it's okay, it's okay, don't scream," she says and kisses her lips hard, she feels the air rapidly escaping the nose against her.

She dismounts the blonde and answers the door opening it slightly, "hey Jack."

"What's up, you coming down?," her friend says from the doorway noting the slight smear of her lipstick.

"Not tonight, I've... I've got some stuff to do."

He smirks and forcibly pushes on the door, opening it and sees the blonde in the bed, the blanket covering her up to her face, "or her to do! Bring her."

Piper sits up, strangely comforted by the American accent and the clinking of the green bottles of Stella the man holds up.

"Can I have one of those?," Alex looks back surprisingly at the sound of Piper's voice.

"Yeah take the whole thing," he says passing the case to Alex, "I have more they're like 80 cents a bottle here." Alex takes the six pack, and goes to close the door not appreciating the invasion, while Jack pushes past her welcoming himself in, Alex raises her arms, "well come on in, why don't you just climb into bed with us as well?" He takes a seat near one of their tables while Alex sets the case down and pops the cap off of a bottle, handing it to Piper who pushed herself upright once again. She sips the beer and her face relaxes into an involuntary smile due to the familiarity of the lager, before returning to its depressive state.

"You're too pretty to not smile all the time, why so blue?"

Alex cuts her eyes to her friend, unamused by his flirtation and inches herself slightly in front of Piper. Jack tightens his lips before wetting them with his tongue entertained by Alex's automatic shift in body language, protective in nature, not unlike that of a German Shepherd. Piper shrugs her shoulders, but runs a hand down Alex's back, loving her protective posture.

"She's had a rough week," Alex responds for her while sitting beside Piper stealing a sip of her beer and kisses the side of her head, making it clear that this is someone he doesn't have to be guarded in front of. "So what are you guys up to?," she asks quirking a brow.

"Just killing a few brain cells, Angie brought back some solid grass from Budapest."

Piper gets up and walks over to the bathroom, she turns off the water. She leaves the door open, and stands within Alex's line of vision. The brunette can see her raking her fingers through her hair and then ties her blonde tresses up into a bun. She smooth's out the skin over her cheeks. She stands in the doorway and raises her eyebrows toward Alex.

Jack sees the blonde and acknowledges that the water was running for the first time and stands up, "sorry to interrupt," he says laughing.

Alex displays a wicked smile and gestures her hand toward the hotel door, shooing away her friend.

"Sorry," Piper says to Jack as she lets out a small laugh, embarrassed by how obvious she was being that she wanted Alex to join her.

He raises his hand, "no apologies necessary but you should definitely come downstairs, room 257," he says and looks her up and down purposely fucking with Alex.

"And you are going to need to keep-your-distance," Alex says to him while tonguing her cheek baffled at his intrepidity, "don't think for a second that I will not fucking kill you;" she snaps at him with such fierceness, that he takes a step back.

"Don't let her intimidate you, she likes to threaten other people's lives," Piper says impudently, "whatever it takes to get what she wants."

Alex is steaming, her hand grips the sheets tightly into the ball of her fist and instead of lashing out at Piper accepts this as the truth, and for a small moment her anger turns to shame.

"You actually saved my life, she was about to drown me," she says laughing and nods her head toward the bathtub.

He laughs out loud, "burn!," he says to Alex and pads toward their door ducking her attempt to backhand him, "she's spunky, I like her, you guys should definitely come down later."

"Get the hell out."

She takes heavy steps toward the bathroom where Piper is about to step into the tub, "and the claws come out, how cavalier of you. You have a real wayward demeanor, you know that?" Piper lowers herself into the tub, "and it's really fucking unbecoming. I thought you were a lady." Piper raises her hips and looks in between her legs, eliciting a laugh from Alex, "where'd I fucking find you?" Piper closes her eyes and lowers herself beneath the water.

Alex stands over her looking at her through the clear water waiting for Piper to re-emerge above the surface. The blonde opens her eyes and stares at a blurry Alex from beneath the liquid glass when she sees the brunette's hand come closer and pulls her up.

"What are you gonna pull a Virginia Woolf on me? You can't go from exchanging sadistic rhetoric with Jack and then go back to being drearily suicidal with me, which by the way wasn't your most astute moment. How did you know he's not going to go off and blow your cover?"

"Can you get my beer?," Piper asks her. Alex stands up unsure if she even heard her. "Are you going to try to drown yourself again?"

"No," she says emotionless.

Alex returns with her beer mid-sip before handing it down to Piper. The blonde takes a sip and holds the beer on her chest with one hand, slightly beneath the water, the other hand hangs over the outside of the tub, she raises her pointer finger toward Alex, "you said to me once, you only smoked with people you trusted."

She acknowledged the blonde humbly, amused at her ability to perceive the situation accurately, "fair enough... Smith grad with excellent listening skills," she replies underlining that she's not the only one who forgets nothing. Piper's cheeks pink up before she passes the beer over to her, "want in?," she asks the brunette avoiding eye contact and looks over the bathwater.

Alex crosses her arms and pulls her shirt over her head. She unhooks her bra and removes it followed by her pants. She steps out to bring her clothes into the bedroom, and Piper hears her remove the cap from another beer. She returns and steps into the tub careful not to step on Piper's legs and settles her bottom in front of the drain. She removes her glasses with one hand and folds them before putting them on the ground. She sips her beer. "So are we merging back into society tonight?," she asks Piper. Piper nods and decides she can handle leaving their room as long as she doesn't have to leave the hotel.

They knock on the door of 257 and Jack answers the door just slightly, "password?" "'Sweaty ball sack,' let me in," she says putting her foot in the door as he tries to close it.

"She can come in," he says pointing to Piper who's stands behind Alex, "you have to pay a fee," he teases and opens the door.

They walk in, a few people raise their drinks and say "hey," as Alex makes her way through the overcrowded room and settles down overlooking a poker game, "who's winning?," she asks the crowd and tell them to deal her in the next hand.

"This is...," Jack stops and looks at Piper, "this is where you fill in your name."

"Piper," she says timidly and accepts a cold Stella from Jack that he dug out of the stopped up sink in the bathroom. He canvases the room and passes out more beers. Piper hears Alex's laughter on the other side of the room and makes her way over toward the card table. She looks at Alex, who mouths "want some?," referring to the pot that is being smoked by a guy who's staring a little too hard at the label on his beer, "who even knows the difference between an ale and a lager?"

Piper nods to Alex, and Alex beckons for the blunt and takes a hit while Piper answers, "there's a difference in the type of yeast, the ale is fermented at a warmer temperature than the lager, and the colder temperature prevents the fruity aromas that accompany the ale, that's why the lager tastes smoother."

Alex's tongue skids across her upper teeth and releases another loud laugh while pulling Piper onto her lap.

"And who are you?," the same guy asks thrown off that someone actually responded to his rhetorical question.

"This is Piper," Alex responds with a peck on the cheek and passes her the blunt. "You know how to play?," she asks her at almost a whisper.

She shakes her head no, and Alex tells her to watch her.

The guy, who the rest of the table later refers to as Mitch asks if Piper is in and Alex says no, admitting she doesn't know how to play.

"Well then even more of a reason that she should." "You'd love that. She's playing with me."

"So I see," he says ogling at the hand that Piper rests on Alex's knee. Alex purses her lips. "No teams," he continues, "either she plays on her own, or she doesn't play at all."

"She plays with me, or we both walk."

"How do I know she's not a hustler?"

"Because I said she doesn't know how to play."

"You're a real bitch Vause," he relents and asks her how much she wants to bet. "Hundred?," she asks.

"You would bet double what we were playing with before, where's your money?"

"I don't have anything on me, you know I'm good for it, I'll just write it down." He shakes his head and starts passing out the cards not wanting to sacrifice a chance to play with the high roller of the group.

They play a few hands and Alex walks away victoriously dragging Piper behind her to a couch, the blonde squishes among others who are playing some sort of drinking game, Alex sits on the floor in front of her, she turns to Piper and leans into her, "there've been few times where I've needed to bring money with me to actually pay up. There are a lot of rules but it's all about the face." Piper hears her and turns her head toward the game.

"Preguntas rapidas," someone acknowledges her curiosity, "fast questions," Piper mumbles to herself. "You go around the circle and ask a yes or no question, the person has to answer fast and if they take too long they have to drink." They listened to some of the questions around the circle, "I used to play this in college but the questions were way raunchier," she says to Alex.

"Theyre not stupid Pipes, they're toning it down so you'll play. Give it thirty seconds, it'll get more perverted because they don't know anything about you."

Someone pointed to Piper, "not remember how you got home," "yes" she admitted. "Peed in your sleep," someone asks Alex, Alex laughs, "no."

The circle continued, "done the walk of shame-yes-watched a whole episode of Maury to feel better about your life-yes- had to pick a pubic hair out of your teeth?," the person didn't want to answer and drank, while everyone laughed and said that was gross and had several requests to be a little less disgusting. Alex gently squeezed Piper's ankle secretly each time someone asked a question to someone else but it applied to them.

They continued, "sex on the beach"

"hells yes," someone answered, Piper felt the ankle squeeze,

"been tied up-no-," ankle squeeze.

"thanked God for getting your period,"

"yes, too many times," someone said raising both of her hands in the air, "went to class high,"

"no," Piper answered.

"been given flowers?," Alex paused for a second to think about her little bouquet of wild flowers with breakfast in bed, Piper slapped her shoulder, "yes!" she said 2 seconds away from having to drink.

"been proposed to," they continued around for another lap,

"passed out with your head in the toilet,"

"yes," Piper replied,

"had an std,"

"yes," Alex answered, she felt Piper's leg nudge her side, but opted not to turn around.

"Had sex in a dressing room," they asked Piper after going around the circle another time, but she didn't answer, "you gotta drink blondie."

Piper took a sip of her drink and set it down on the table,

"had to turn over and introduce yourself to someone in the morning," they asked Alex,

"no." They continued around the circle again, and Piper stands up, lifting her leg over Alex's head and walks away and out onto the balcony.

Alex stands up and grabs Piper's drink while she climbs over people who are sitting around or laying down passed out from too much Mary Jane and booze.

"Trouble in Paradise?," Jack asks Alex acknowledging the blonde that just flew past him. She ignores him and steps outside closing the door.

"You make me feel like I'm insane."

"I don't make you feel anything you control yourself."

"No, I really think you're determined to push me to see how far I'll go, to see how much I can take before I break and just give up."

"Also not true."

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I didn't think it mattered!"

"It's a fucking STD Alex! Which one?"

"Chlamydia, like a million other people every year."

"And now I probably have it too."

"Hey, it was like ten years ago, I've had nothing since, and I didn't give anything to you."

"How do you know that? It's invisible and most people are asymptomatic!"

"Because I got myself tested before I had sex with you, okay?," she says with vulnerability in her voice, "have you been tested? You could've given something to me!"

"No, but I used condoms every time."

"Um, liar," she said acknowledging the fact that they've never used any kind of barrier.

"It's like impossible to contract anything with another girl," she says defensively.

"Well I did so it's not that impossible."

"You got chlamydia from another girl?"

Alex looked at her offended, "I'm going to act like you didn't just question my gold star status."

Piper looked at her with slight apology, "what happened?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders, "polished mirrors," she said laughing.

"Ugh, you're so vulgar. I didn't mean what position were you in, I meant the situation."

Alex placed a wide grip under her own jaw and massaged her skin, "I was going to a rave with some friends while the rest of our class was at prom, and we drove past the venue," she pauses to take a swig of her beer, "and my friend parks outside and dares me to go in and embarrass one of these bitches that tormented me for years. So were throwing around ideas in the car and I get out to go find her and I see her head into the bathroom," Piper nods waiting for Alex to continue. "So I go in behind her and pin her against the wall and kiss her hoping someone would walk in behind me to kick me out since I was clearly not dressed for prom," Piper looks at her somewhat disturbed but wills her to continue, "but then she kissed me back," she says laughing again and shaking her head. "Can you believe that? That fucking bitch made fun of me for years and then I try to scare the shit out of her and she fucking likes it!"

"Okay?," Piper asks still not getting to how she had chlamydia.

"Right so then she pulls me into a stall and pins me against the wall, starts unbuttoning my UFO's, and pushes them down my legs," Piper's mouth is agape, "mind you I'm seventeen and essentially horny as fuck and I'm thrown off by this girl who I thought was going to either run or vomit when I kissed her," she tries justifying herself.

"So yeah she balanced her foot on the toilet, took down her tights, threw her leg around my waist and started rubbing herself against me."

Piper starts laughing now and Alex cuts her eyes at her, "it's not fucking funny Piper. I couldn't stop myself so I kept rubbing myself against her too until I came."

Piper continues to laugh.

"I was so embarrassed that I came, and I liked it for that matter, I pushed her away, pulled up my pants and bolted out of there."

"So you left her with blue clit?," Piper said through hysterics.

"Yeah, so I still kind of got some revenge, until I went for an std screen a month later and was told I had chlamydia. Bitch still got me."

Piper nodded catching her breath.

"But I swear, I took my pill, and I was tested every six months after that until the time after I met you," Piper nodded again, "you wanna go back in?"

"Am I going to find out anything else that I'd rather not know?"

"I don't know, I don't know what they're going to ask, but I already told you, you can know whatever you want. No secrets."


	16. Chapter 16

16

Piper made the executive decision that it was time to go when she was coming down from her two beer buzz while Alex was well passed her fifth and still hysterically laughing at the empty bottle of Hoegaarten that rested on the table.

Piper pulled her by the hand toward the door while Jack held out another dark bottle of Allagash Bourbon Barrel towards Alex, "you're goin boss?," he says to Alex while winking at the blonde. Alex flips him the bird.

"So d'you think Jack likes you?," Alex chortles with a twinge of irritation in her tone, "pretty sure my foot is moist from stepping in his pile of drool," she looks at her foot unsure if it's wet or she's hallucinating, "fucking Jack God damn pain in my ass."

Piper looked at her displeased.

"Don't sneer at me," she said in reply to Piper's look, "and don't act like you didn't like it either."

She couldn't help herself from responding, despite the fact that Alex was high and still piss ass drunk, "I'm pretty sure that he was just being nice to me and trying to get on your nerves, which he obviously knows how to do well," she says to Alex steadying her by her shoulders unimpressed by her inability to stand, "boss."

"I don't care if people are nice to you or look at you," she said slightly slurring her words, "I don't blame them," she stopped in the middle of the hallway and pulled her head back a few inches, looking the blonde up and down, "I mean have you seen you? I don't like when you look back. I can handle the girls but the whole world?," she waves her arms in wide circles, and shakes her head as if she's defeated, "Impossible," she squeezes her hip flirtatiously, "Gillette blade."

"Hey don't be a jerk...," she says annoyed though lacks the energy to argue with a plastered Alex, about how unwarranted being labeled is, "and I don't like him. At all."

"So the school girl giggles from our bathroom or acting as if he slayed a fucking dragon when he passed you a beer, is you not liking him? Good to know." They got into the elevator and Alex dragged her hand down the buttons lighting up all the even numbered floors then bent down to look closely at the lights.

Piper pulled her upright to face her and cupped her bottom, "if you can't tell when I'm into someone," she squeezed her hands causing Alex to smile bashfully, "than that is entirely your own problem." Piper knew the possibility of sex at any point during this night was off the table when it required her to physically pin Alex against the wall to prevent her from falling while she pulled out their room key to open the door.

The blonde awoke to an unpleasant groan from the brunette still clad in her attire from the night before. She scrunched her face and turned to look at Piper.

"Well you've looked better," Piper said to her.

She brought both of her hands over her face and smeared them downward still blocking the light. "You're okay?"

"Yeah I stopped at two, I'm an adult."

"Oh my God stop screaming, my head," she hissed as she pressed her palms down on her head trying to force the counter pressure. "Yeah I remember that bougie adult who tried to become the bottle of tequila at the Stonewall last winter. I also remember that same adult puking, oh I dunno, eight times while my punk ass held her hair back."

Piper rubbed a hand over her hair, and looked in their fridge for something to absorb any of the remaining alcohol.

"What did I have last night?"

Piper rolled her eyes up into her head thinking, "the Stella here, one down there, two of those Allagash bourbon beers, some other one with a yellow label, at least you just stuck to beer," she said trying to comfort the appalled look on Alex's face, "oh no wait and you had a shot of some really expensive gin that people were going on about." She whined and rolled onto the side of the bed, her face mushed against the edge.

"Do you really not remember anything?," Piper asked her unbelievably.

"Shhh," she tightened her eyes, "I remember kicking everyone's sorry ass at cards, and that stupid game and you getting mad at me, and then people trying to challenge me to a rematch but then trying to involve you and make it strip poker, but we didn't?"

Piper made a guilty face and shrugged her shoulders. "We did?!"

Piper laughed, "no."

"Fucker."

She spent the day tending to Alex, the brunette seemed to have no recollection of her pang of jealousy and Piper didn't wish to revisit it. They only leave the room for a couple of hours over the next two days, as Piper is still worried though she is somewhat excited to learn that they'll be "touring" around Europe for the next month or so. Alex tells her she'll be busy but to think about some places she'd like to see and she'll handle their plans. She firstly has business to attend to in Switzerland and as they're checking out in the lobby, Piper sees one and then another person she met the night they spent playing in Jack's room. They don't look at her and at first she's offended, but then figures they don't remember her. She then realizes it's a deliberate act to not acknowledge anyone other than the person you're sharing a room with.

Alex follows her into the cab at the curb and tells the driver the name of the airport, when Piper grabs her thigh and shakes her head, "I can't go back there."

"What? I already have our tickets."

"I can't," she said breathlessly, "I'll stay here then, go without me," she says looking at Alex while blindly reaching for the door handle to let herself back out desperate to go anywhere but toward that airport.

"No, no," Alex reaches for her hand and squeezes it, "we can take the train... okay?"

"But you already got the plane tickets."

"It's fine... we can take the train."

Piper nods along and Alex asks the driver to take them to a station that will allow them to board an international train. They arrive at Brussel-Zuid station, she makes a call to explain her delay and buys them two first class tickets on an overnight train from Brussels to Zurich.

They boarded the train and retreated to their little en suite, equipped with bunk beds and a Polly Pocket sized bathroom. Piper stepped into the shower stall with her hands clasped together, flared her elbows out hitting the sides of the walls, "sorry," she said with remorseful eyes but forces the smallest laugh. Alex narrows her brow and shook her head, as if to say there was nothing for the blonde to be sorry for.

"Pipes, promise me something."

She looked at Alex without saying a word.

"When we get to Switzerland, promise me you'll go out."

A single corner of the blonde's pouty mouth pulled downward.

"You can't just sit up in the room all day. There are going to be days, more days than before sometimes, where I won't be there from the time you wake up til late in the evening, and I don't want to come back to your body molded to the bed every night."

Was this an ultimatum? If she didn't promise, were they done? Would she insist on sending her home to their place to pack up and get out? The thought of independently venturing out or being left alone all day recreated the queasy feeling that accompanied so many of her days over the last two weeks, but the thought of being without Alex at all caused the bile to literally crawl its way up her pipe which she couldn't bear, so she promised.

They dined in the cart with cloth laden tables and surprisingly decent wine. They retreated back to their compartment where Alex spent hours teaching the blonde how to not only play poker but divulged some of her best tactics. Not accustomed to the cramped quarters, it took a few minutes of altering their positions but they conformed to each other's bodies and fell asleep on the narrow twin bed.

The door of the hotel shut quietly behind the brunette, Piper opened her eyes and lay there silently, somewhat saddened that she didn't even say goodbye. She rolled over and pulled the menu out from the bedside table to see what was available within the hotel or to order up. She threw the menu back in the drawer and shut it quickly as she heard the door open again.

"What are you doing?," Alex looked at her as if she was catching her doing something naughty.

"Nothing," Piper laughed softly, "I was just looking at the menu for room service, but I know you told me to go out. I thought you already left."

"Mmm, hmmm," she squatted down and looked through her bag and pulls out a wad of money. She places the cash on top of a local map of Zurich from the hotel lobby and places it on the bed, "do something that makes you feel good, I'm gonna be gone for the better part of the day," she pulls the blondes chin upward toward her mouth and kisses her while running a hand through her hair. "I mean it," she says to her seriously, "out." She walks out as Piper unfolds the map as her eyes look over the city of cheese, chocolate and watches.

She wanders aimlessly around the city, and catches her reflection in a shiny window off of a cobblestone street. She pops into a salon where her hair is snipped into a new euro-chic style, she asks the hair dresser for suggestions on where to explore while he blows her hair out straight, "... just ask around, don't keep your head down in a map. You have to be careful...it's a great city, but we have a terrible heroin problem here. You see people just lying in the streets, out of it."

She walks blindly out into the street, ashamed to have had any role in this operation when someone on their bike swerves out of her way nearly hitting her and starts yelling in German.

She buys a ticket to "The Piano" and sits slouched in the back corner of the theater thankful for the artistic transportation this form of media allows her and cries through the film, not once, but as it plays through a second and third time. She hasn't noticed the hour or the fact that she hasn't eaten or had anything to drink the entire day, she wearily rises and walks back to the hotel.

She sat cross legged on top of the bed, with a large book spread across her legs, the 5th installment of a series about a boy who lived through the wrath of a dark wizard.

The brunette returns from a long day with a fine leather briefcase against her knee. She sets it down, pops open the locks and pulls out two handfuls of tightly wrapped cash. She walks over toward the bed, slowing as she notices Piper's haircut and tosses the cash on the bed.

"Looks beautiful," the brunette says as she fingers the ends of the velvety straight blonde hair. She twists a strand around her middle finger and stretches it loosely over the blonde's upper lip creating a moustache and smirks. She's initially happy as it appears the blonde took care of herself, "so what'd you do today?"

The monotone voice from the upright figure tells her she bought an elaborate gourmet lunch and walked around the park until she found a spot to people watch, eat, read and then window shopped. The light is still gone from behind her eyes, the brunette notices, she pinches the skin on the blonde's hand, not hurtfully but just so between her index finger and her thumb, as the blonde goes on, the skin from the pinch tents and slowly retracts. She runs her hand over Piper's hair while looking into her dead eyes and lets her gaze linger for a second longer than she would've naturally and walks away.

She unbuckles her sandals and kicks each of them lazily off of her feet, she crosses her arms over her chest removing her shirt and lets its drop behind her, she squeezes one leg out of her tight jeans then leans against the doorway of the bathroom, removing the other, leaving the garment along the trail and gets into the shower.

Piper hangs her head. This person: she was so complex, she meant so many different things to her. There was the Alex that caressed her lovingly in the night and touched her with a tenderness that she had never known before , the Alex that got jealous when she thought someone else made her take a second glance, the Alex that tried to subtly check if she was febrile when she'd gotten that stomach virus in Java, she'd felt the brunettes soft lips press against her skin but her temper trumped her gratitude and never acknowledged the caring contact, but then there was the Alex that let her work come before the blonde and knowingly let her participate in illegal activity despite how much of a fuss she made about it, and now the Alex who continues to manipulate the world around her, destructively spinning with her delicious silky raven hair through city after city mercilessly destroying those in her path.

She caught the end of Alex's shower, she watched the brunette towel dry her hair through the glass of the shower door and tie it up messily on the crown of her head. By the time she'd finished cleansing and rinsing the suds off her own body, she found Alex already in bed scribbling on some large college ruled note pad, the bed sheet pulled loosely around her body. Piper climbed in beside her, she stared up at the ceiling while the other woman continued on writing out whatever she was working on until she finally hit the side lamp off and adjusted herself underneath the sheet.

She lies there for a long while, unsure if Alex is still awake, before speaking, "I lied to you." There's a long continued silence before she hears, "I know."

"You know?," she turns on her light, while holding the sheet up covering her chest.

Alex squints at the light, puts on her black frames and props herself up on her elbow. She slowly blinks and looks at Piper of course I know, her look reads; her gaze settles lower at the hardened nipples of her girlfriend. Piper readjusts uncomfortably.

"I wouldn't've lasted very long if I didn't know how to filter through the liars." Piper frowns slightly. "I knew you'd tell me eventually. So, what did you really do today?"

She told her of the stylist that was telling her "to be careful of the addicts that were in the street, whose lives have been, mostly likely irreversibly, compromised due to their addiction. Alex, people are physically lying in the streets, dying from a product that you're moving around the world. You run this, you're in charge of it, you're devising everything, perfecting all of the details that enable this disgusting habit," she grabbed her hair with both of her hands, "ruining people's lives. You're taking advantage of people's weaknesses and bringing more and more of this substance within their reach, and you're profiting!" She fights the muscles around her mouth, and runs a hand through her hair. She raises both of her hands and pinches the sheet between her knee and her chest, "and I think what scares me more than anything else is it doesn't even have an effect on you. I know a different side of you, but it just seems like you have no problem blocking how fucking callous you are. It's so hard to look at you right now," she looks up willing away her tears, but they begin to fall and she looks back at the brunette, "you're so beautiful, but the things you do are so horrid I'm struggling to separate them."

"Is that all?"

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

"Oh I heard you... loud and clear," she says defensively. "But I can say my piece? Piper raises her hands higher as if to say the stage is hers.

"First of all, I'm not forcing anyone, to do fucking anything. This is like a game of cards. Everyone is dealt a hand, it's what people choose to do with that hand that matters. Am I cooking that shit, drawing it up in a syringe and plunging it into anyone's veins? No, I don't fucking think so. These are not defenseless infants that I'm concocting the ruination of okay? These are grown ass adults. People are going to do what they want to do, they have the freedom to make their own decisions. I am not demanding that they fork over their paycheck in exchange for this shit and then compelling them to ruin anything. The person who sues McDonalds for making them fat when they do 360's around the fucking drive thru 7 days a week? Same damn thing. Same fool who tries to claim that she didn't know her coffee was scalding hot and burned herself? Give me a fucking break, I'll have them stamp "may cause addiction" on the packets of heroin if that would make you feel better, whatever helps you sleep at night. I am not responsible for the shortcomings of the whole world or the downfall of anyone other than myself," she finished with hard eyes and looked down.

Piper sat up in bed dumbfounded at how quickly Alex was able to defend herself and if she wasn't delusional herself, had that all made sense? While she was deepening the crater of despair, she certainly wasn't shoving people down the rabbit hole. Alex hadn't grown up with anything handed to her, and while Piper still wasn't proud of her girlfriends work, she'd worked damn hard to get where she was in this moment. She'd been knocked down more times than a person should have to and could understand why she was able to justify her work. Like she'd said, we've all been dealt a hand and Alex chose to press her luck with the cards she'd been dealt and made out like a Rockefellar, and she was apologizing to no one.

Piper got the pack of cards they'd played countless hands of poker with on the train ride over, she flopped back onto the bed. She pulled Alex's chin up and tossed the deck between them, "deal me in."


	17. Chapter 17

17

"Deal me in"... what does she mean? Does that mean that she's in this with me for the long haul? The fuck? Are we a pair? She takes a breath and deals the cards. Send in the clowns... don't bother they're here. She chose to give it time before figuring out what the blonde meant, to avoid rocking the boat, at the chance that there was a misinterpretation. She'd rather assume the girl was willing to stay beside her, having understood her justification of the job and let her single handedly continue her illegal embargo, versus assuming she'd be willing to co-pilot her operations, and run the risk of having her bolt from her life.

They played poker well into the night, often stopping mid-way through the hand to lay the cards flat on the bed so Alex could further explain where she went wrong, how to set up further bets, how to read subtle gestures in order to better anticipate opposing players' moves. The room slowly got brighter, the sun that was slowly creeping up, seeped past the curtains casting a hint of natural yellow, washing out the artificial yellow from the side lamp. She watched the blue eyes that had darted more quickly earlier in the night, now blink slowly as she decided what cards she would play. She studies her face, her expressions of doubt, confidence, gratification, her nerves as her lips tensed into a line and then pouted slightly when relaxed, "stop wearing your heart on your sleeve."

The sound of the dark haired woman's voice broke her from her trance with the cards in her hand, she looked up to the green-grey eyes, behind the thick rimmed glasses, willing her to clarify.

"I told you that night we were playing in Jack's room, there are a lot of rules but it's all about the face. You can have the shittiest hand but if you make them believe you've got something more, they'll play right into it."

Piper rested her head on her pillow and nodded twice.

"Lemme deal again," the brunette said beckoning for Piper's cards.

"Ugh," Piper moaned in exhaustion, she stretched and turned over in the bed.

"Too much?," Alex questioned, now worrying if in fact the blonde was still on the fence about sticking it out with her for fear that she'd reached her brim with vehemence.

The blonde's dark eyebrows raise, her lips purse, trying to portray an obvious yes without actually having to say anything.

Alex stares back at her waiting for an answer, "is it?," she questions again now with a worried urgency. She didn't mean to be so extreme.

Piper closes her eyes for a moment, before Alex pushes her shoulder back turning her to her side. "If you have something to say, than say it... don't dance around it."

"It's... it can be too much."

Alex gathers the cards and taps the edges on the bed, to stack the deck neatly before pushing them into the little cardboard box. She rolls away from Piper to reach over and put the deck on the side table when she hears, "I need a break."

She feels her body tense, the knot in her stomach forces the acid upward, instantaneously, this disturbance of the control she just possessed in trying to aid the girl has now upheaved; she feels her heart pound against her chest, she is a brick, plummeting from the sky unable to slow the speed.

"Al?," she asks for the third time now grasping the brunette's forearm, as she leans over her on the bed, her other hand still keeps the bed sheet against her chest. "Are you okay?," she asks rubbing the palm of her hand down the long pale arm. She stops at the tribal band tattoo and flicks her fingertip back and forth along the ink, pinching it slightly, "Al?"

Alex swallows hard but with a conscious silence, "yeah." She bends her hand slightly and with her hand in a fist pulls it against her stomach, a break.

"It's just so intense sometimes, do you think we could just have some time, for us?"

Her eyes widen, her brows raise, the muscles surrounding her vital organs relax, she breathes. She keeps her back to the blonde, "you need a break from...," everyone else, "...from the job? A small getaway?"

"Yeah, if that's possible?," she said with slight hesitation, she didn't want to seem ungrateful for everywhere she'd already been taken.

The brunette licks her lips, her left hand comes up to rest upon the blonde's that's still tracing the outline of her tattoo, "yeah of course,... yes." She closes her eyes and inhales Piper's scent, she lets it linger, and tries to suck the air in further, wary to breathe out and have it escape. What if she hadn't meant a break from everything that surrounded us, but a break from me? The potential loss had hit her in a way that she hadn't expected. Earlier in the evening when the girl looked so frightened and angry, she'd had the courage to rebut and lay everything out on the line in defense of herself. But now she just got a glimpse of what it would've felt like had the girl revealed that she'd had enough and it had caused an un unexpected up rise in her core. Despite the blonde's confession of how beautiful she was and how she'd seen another side of her that others hadn't been privileged to see, what if the nature of the job was simply too much to continue being a part of? What if she had just gotten up and left?

But this wasn't the case, she breathes in deep and exhales," anywhere," her voice is just above a whisper, "where do you want to go?"

She settles her hand on the brunette's shoulder and pulls her back toward her, forcing Alex to roll onto her back. She crawls up a little higher so she can look into the brunette's face and confirms what she thought she's heard in her voice, she'd been worried.

Alex looks directly into the blonde's eyes with intent to have a stare down, but instead wraps her arm around her and pulls her in close. Piper rests her head under her chin, "I don't know, somewhere you haven't imported?," she asks with just a touch of sarcasm.

"So anywhere that's worthy of going is off limits?"

Piper sucks in her teeth, "seriously, Alex?"

A hum of laughter rumbles from within the brunette's chest. "C'mon," Piper whines, lifting her head and looking at her girlfriend.

"Look, just pick somewhere, I won't say if I've been there or not, alright?"

"But now I'll always wonder... if its been..."

Her lips part as she squints at the blonde slightly annoyed, her tongue runs across the bottom row of her teeth and settles in her cheek for a moment, "say it," she dares.

Piper glares back and hesitates only for a moment, "tainted!"

She fuckin said it. Alex kept her teeth clenched and sucked the air in slowly, "I'm essentially telling you to spin a globe and let your beautiful, little, manicured, fucking finger land anywhere in the world and you're gonna try to make me feel guilty?," she asks with the side of her hand against her breast bone.

She loved the rouse she just got from the brunette, the holds up her pointer, "this finger?," she reverses the direction of her wrist and swaps digits, flipping her off, "or this finger;" she brings her index up again beside her middle finger, "or these fingers?," she says curling them forward once before Alex quickly grasps them and brings them close.

"Yeah, these fingers, which by the way, the nail clipper is within the top zipper of the toiletry case."

The blonde's mouth drops down before she disputes, "yeah well maybe if I saw you for more than three hours a day, I'd bother with keeping them short."

Though the banter wasn't meant to sting, Piper's words penetrated her deep within. She'd already said she needed a break, and while she took her seriously, she hadn't fully heard it until just then.

Piper watched the smugness dissipate and the hurt takeover; having already seen the remnants of fear over her girlfriend's face once today, she immediately regretted taking such a jab, "I didn't..."

"I don't mean to neglect you," she verbalized her epiphany of what the blonde had been trying to say without using the actual words. She inhaled deeply and in one breath she continued, "I'm so stressed sometimes the demands are so high that I'm close to tipping over the edge, and by the time I get back, I'm pumped but you're sleeping, and then when you approach me I'm tired and grouchy and I push you away and one day I know it's going to be too much and you're..."

"Hey!," Piper cut her off and placed her hands on her shoulders, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here... for you. I just need... we need, time... and sand," she said with brightness over her face. "Can we go somewhere that has a beach.. and the bustle of a city...just us? Just for a little while?"

* * *

She could see the darkness cloud over her eyelids, just previously red from the bright sun, as Piper leaned over her face. She bent her knees and rubbed the heels of her feet into the sand. She heard the cap of the sunscreen snap open and the squirt of the lotion splatter into the blonde's palm before she felt the blonde coating her exposed skin with the coconut scented cream. Piper covered herself in sunscreen leaned over the supine brunette who hadn't moved a muscle, to toss the bottle back into their straw bag.

"You smell so fucking good," she lazily muttered to Piper.

"Mmmm, you like this one," she raised her left wrist to the brunette's nose, "or this one?," she asked switching arms.

"The second one," she decided, referring to the scented oil that the blonde lathered all over herself in la savonnerie. She'd made the brunette slam on the brake en route to Paloma Beach just east of Villefranche sur Mer.

"An artisanal bath shop!," she squealed as she pointed out the window of the moving rental car. She'd barely given Alex a chance to park the car, before opening the car door and to run up the hill that overlooked the beaches of the French Riviera.

"Al look at all the colors," she yelled as the brunette slowly made her way up the hill with their beach bag in tow. "I thought you wanted to go to the beach Pipes."

"I do!," she engulfed the brunette as she reached the peak of the hill. She leaned her against the large stoned waist high wall and pointed over the brunette's shoulder so she could see the pastel painted homes along the coast. Alex leaned back over her shoulder and nodded, she stared at the blonde who was captivated by the landscape around them, "s'beautiful." She intertwined her hand with Piper's and steered her in the direction of the bath shop.

"Al the shutters!," she said with a hand covering her mouth hardly to able to contain her girly excitement over the wooden window treatments.

Alex couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's wonder of the quaint town. As they made their way down the hill, she spazzed again at an old tunnel and begged to stay longer than they originally intended so she could fully explore. She had paid close attention to the little things Piper mentioned fancying, she knew she'd love the little neighborhood and had already booked accommodations in the area for several days. After spending close to an hour in the tiny store, as only a woman could, she'd just about sampled every oil and lotion whilst conversing with the owner about how she'd learned the art of making bath products and went about opening her store.

"Pipes, the beach," she said steering her focus, "we can come back later, I'd like to lay on the sand while there's still sun in the sky."

After a few hours of sunbathing, Piper walked down to use the bathroom. The brunette had tried to resist the urge, but found herself digging through their bag to check her phone and read through the messages from Fahri about the drops that were simultaneously being made along other locations around the French Riviera. She gripped her phone tight before subtly shutting it and slipped it back into the bag as she saw Piper making her way back toward their towels, feeling the struggle to keep her worlds separate.

They returned to the shop where Piper selected Alex's preferred scent, checked into their villa and scrubbed the beach and the multitude of intermixed perfumed scents off their skin before dining at dusk on their terrace.

The smoky air, the roar of an excited win and slot machines echoed throughout the Monte Carlo casino. They waited in line to exchange cash for chips at the gated teller window. The teller slipped stacks of multicolored rounded discs through the slot, Alex handed Piper two large stacks.

"Alex there's like two thousand dollars here."

"Tim Cranmer gives you a personal round of applause," she says cockily and looks over her shoulder to grab a short glass of cognac from one of the servers.

She looks at her confusedly, "who?"

"He invented the abacus," she swirls the drink gently and smells it before taking a sip.

"No one actually knows who invented it. There's different versions of them documented all over the world, so for this Cranmer did you say?...," she clarifies with Alex who's lips are crunched so tight in an desperate attempt to not spew her alcoholic contents everywhere simply nods and manages to swallow as the blonde continues, "...to take the credit for this invention just makes him a poacher."

Alex smirks and smacks her lightly on the shoulder, "will you just fucking play?" She nudges her chin toward the poker room,"go," she wills her, "I'll be over there," she points toward a wall that's within sightlines of the Texas Hold'em table. She watches the blonde walk over to the table and nervously takes a seat before checking her phone.

She hears Piper scream and throw her hands over her head as she wins. She throws a glance over her shoulder catching Alex's eye from a few tables away, as her winnings are stacked, the brunette simply smirks. She learns quick; she cant help but think of how much talent is being wasted gambling when she could be helping her import thousands of dollars of powdery white glory.


	18. Chapter 18

18

With the windows down, Alex continued east following the natural curve of the coast adorned with pastel colored homes until they reached the border of Italy. She took a detour north to take Piper shopping through Milan. She waited outside while Piper played dress up in designer dresses, strutting and stretching in front of the full length dressing room mirror, pausing momentarily here and there to shoot the brunette a sultry look or roll her hip with a hint of flirtation. When she found one that fit like it was made for her body, she lifted her arm to grab the price tag, causing Alex to shoot up and avert the blonde's gaze.

"It's not important," she said with the tag in her grasp, "is this a yes? Please say it's a fucking yes?"

Piper turned back into the mirror to look herself over once more, she bounced on the balls of her feet excited about the pretty new garment and gave Alex the okay. The brunette leaned down and bit the plastic, separating the tag from the dress, "wear it out." She left her in the dressing room while she brought the tag to the cashier and asked for a bag to put the clothes Piper had worn into the store.

The blonde rested her head on the brunette's shoulder as they strolled along the Via Monte Napoleone, lifting it briefly when a pair of black heels displayed in a window caught her eye. She looked at the sandals she was currently wearing and sulked inwardly showing the slighted pout. "Go on," Alex said with a nudge toward the door of the shoe store. The saleswoman approached them, when she saw the shoe the brunette held in her hands,

"nine and a half right?," she confirmed with a seated Piper over her shoulder.

With a single nod of her head, she ensured the brunette she was correct.

"Quaranta," she heard the brunette tell the saleswoman before taking a seat beside her.

"Forty?," she asked confusedly.

"Hey look at you, you're getting good...the translations. Forty is roughly a nine and a half." Piper smirked, happy the brunette remembered her shoe size.

"What?," the brunette asked curiously looking at the way her girlfriend's lips were pulled to the side.

"Nothing," she said slipping her hands beneath her thighs, suddenly feeling a bit shy, "just remembering..."

* * *

She felt the tangle of the sheets around her ankle as her toes pressed forward, she couldn't control her toes when Alex kissed her neck this way. She fought her eyes back open wanting to peek at the brunette's now slightly messy hair. She watched her move away from her neck, down along her shoulders, and further down her arms; she'd hoped to catch the brunette's eyes, the way she looked at her, seemed to get her closer. As the brunette started her downward journey, she tried to relax and concentrate on the path the brunette was taking, relaxing each muscle as the brunette's lips pressed against her skin. Alex promised she'd be gentle, after she'd gotten the blonde worked up over slipping her wrist through the silky red scarf tied through the bedpost, if she managed to willingly keep her hands to herself. She tracked the brunette as she planted kisses between her breasts, then lower onto her ribs, and then lower onto her toned stomach, she instinctually sucked in, her nerves rising causing her muscles to tense once again. She reached down to urge the brunette to come back closer to her face. As the brunette slowly crawled up until their eyes were in alignment, she wrapped her arms around the brunette clad in her black tank top and booty shorts and willed her to turn over, in order to seek control. She planted her legs between those of the brunette, and sank her teeth into the space just above her protruding collar bone, nipping the skin. Her fingertips brushed across the brunette's pink nipple, the pads of her fingers moving in slow circles, causing the nipple to erect before she took it in her mouth, and flicked it back and forth with her tongue. The brunette heard a moan escape the blonde, she lifted her head just slightly off the pillow and peered down at the blonde whose lips spread to the sides into a smile upon realizing the brunette was watching her. The brunette brought a hand behind her own head and rested it back some watching the blonde who continued to moan between her smiles as her breasts were teased.

"Enjoying yourself?," she asked the blonde who seemed almost giddy.

"Mmm," Piper said with a worried nipple still between her lips, she broke the suction, "your tits smell like marzipan."

Alex laughed out loud and arched her back. She ran her fingers through the blonde's hair, "Pipes? As much as I'm enjoying you sucking the shit out of my marzipan scented tits, can we move it down south?," she said in a breathy plead. She caught the slight beg in her tone and reverted to her more comfortable smug sarcasm, "I'm essentially on fire."

Piper dragged her hand down the brunette's torso, along her hip and met the wetness between the brunette's legs.

"No," Alex panted, wanting to feel the heat from the blonde's mouth along the space that continued to throw a pulse every minute or so.

Piper came up onto her hands and looked at the brunette curiously, what else does she want from me?

Beside herself with the blonde's long hair flowing over her shoulders, her breasts not quite fully covered, her mouth starts to salivate, she chuckles in amusement and curls her tongue once in the blonde's direction.

She notes the blonde's eyes widen, maybe it was too soon? She feels the blonde plant a kiss on her lower abdomen, but senses the hesitancy, this could take forever, and she wanted that girl above her face, right- fucking- now. Breathe, calm down girl, don't scare her off.

She reaches down placing a hand on the girls head, causing her to look up at the contact. She wants to push her lower but she controls herself and beckons her to come up toward her face. She'll go first she decides since the blonde between her legs seems a bit too eager to come back up to the upper half of her body. She could appreciate the shyness of her body language, having felt that oral pleasure was far more intimate than finger fucking. She turned to her side and took a moment to absorb the cuteness, the beauty, the sexiness of the blonde before her. She offered her services,

"let me lick you," she purrs in her ear.

The blonde's breath catches audibly.

"What?," she said pulling her neck back some, she was giving her both a look of want and uneasiness. Not quite knowing what she was feeling she spoke with a little hesitation, "we don't...have to...if..."

That voice. Stop talking, just stop-fucking-talking. Her voice alone was driving Piper crazy. She shut the brunette's mouth, pressing her lips against hers. She broke away, "it's just that," ohmygod if this is how I feel just when she talks to me...I just, I can't, "I haven't shaved."

"That's not a pre-requisite," she mutters deeply.

Ugh that rasp, "it just... it could look better."

"Well it's not like I'm gonna stare at it."

Piper thought back to her previous experience with men she'd gotten on her knees for, she'd always looked at it, "aren't you?"

The brunette chuckled, "don't flatter yourself," she said as she started to move lower, she felt the blonde's hands hold her shoulders slowing her down.

The blonde felt her thighs shake with want from this woman, but worried about her preoccupation, she'd never gotten off when someone had gone down on her before, perhaps because her mind never stopped racing about what they were thinking as their tongue messily tried to bring her to orgasm. Before she knew it she could no longer reach the brunette's shoulder but only her neck and then soon after only the top of her head, she grasped a thick strand in her hand and held her back,

"what if I take too long?"

Is that a dare? "Piper, relax, just lie back," she said turning the blonde so her hips were squared. She nestled herself comfortably between the blonde's long legs.

"I just prefer fucking to this, I don't want you to be stuck there, forever."

Is this chick serious? She could've sworn she could hear a record screech to a halt, "seriously?" The blonde nodded, still nervous as fuck.

"Well, by all means, you like what you like, but I can pretty much guarantee, whoever you were with," she peered into the girls blue eyes and drawled with confidence, "didn't know what they were doing."

She felt her palm that was pressed against the blonde's lower abdomen, shake from the tremble below, "I promise... I do."

Fuck you, just fuck you. She bit her lower lip as she felt Alex's elbows put her knees further apart. Alex pulled the sheet over her head and let it rest upon her hair like Mother Theresa, "ready?," she teased.

Piper exhaled in frustration, as she didn't have a chance to answer as Alex escaped from view and let the velvet of her tongue slowly map across her drenched core. She was able to catch the flicker of black painted nails massaging her breast upward before her vision went dark. Before she knew it, she felt her heat rise, what kind of black magic did this woman study? Her hands wandered aimlessly looking for something to grab onto, while she tried her best not to lose contact with Alex's skilled tongue. This woman's tongue, the feel of her hands against her breast, her deep subtle moans, it was almost too much. Her hips lifted as if they were a separate entity from the rest of her body as this gorgeous brunette licked her smooth and hard from within and right over her clit. She moaned out the best orgasm she'd ever had to date, and felt the brunette's mouth break away from her dripping heat, she throbbed from within and slowly tried to regain consciousness. She opened her eyes to make sure she was still on earth, as the sheet pulled up and a head of dark hair crept upward. She rubbed her hand along the brunette's forearm that was still caressing her breast, before she felt another kiss to the lowest part of her belly. She watched the brunette wipe her wetness against her bicep before proudly taking credit for properly soaking her.

"Oh my God," she panted, while tousling her hand through the mane of her angel of darkness.

"Horrible, wasn't it?," the brunette teases again and crawls up the length of the blonde body, frenching a new set of lips.

She tastes herself against the brunette's lips, but this is not the taste she desires. She pulls her closer by the nape of her neck, she wills her breathing to calm, "the worst," she kisses her, "you're really bad at that." She peers into the sparkling green-grey eyes and comes up onto her elbows, she wants to return the favor, she needs to taste her, "can I do you?"

She smiles widely, it takes everything for her not to scream, I TOLD YOU, NOTHING BETTER THAN A DEFT TONGUE. She's able to stifle the uproarious laughter from within, "you don't have to ask."

How did she tell her she was asking because she needed some, instruction? "I've never... really..."

Never really what?... she sees that hesitation again, aww., it hits her, Ohhh!, she finished her sentence, "gone down on a woman before?"

She wanted to curl up and die, but she couldn't take her eyes away from this woman's face, she felt her heat start to rise again, she fanned her leg open and closed, "I mean...," please don't laugh in my face, "no."

And there's the laugh, but her drunken, pleasured state overcame the will to care. "What kind of a lesbian are you?"

"The boob touching kind," she answered honestly. How dare you take that finger and stroke that curl away from your face, she bit her lip.

"Alright, well, are you ready to take the plunge?," she heard the brunette ask sweetly, cocking her head just slightly, masking her mockery. My head, she thinks and runs her fingers through her hair, she's lost in the feeling of the mini humping against her thigh, when she hears, "so to speak?" She rubs her nose against the brunette, can she please come closer?

"Are you gonna coach me through it?"

Fuckin adorable, "yeah," she can barely contain her smile as the blonde rises up to catch her lips and pull her into a kiss.

She hears the ringing of a phone...

* * *

"Sorry Pipes, I gotta take this," the blonde realizes she's in the shoe store as she feels the brunette press her weight against her thigh while she pushes herself from a seated position and takes her phonecall outside.

The saleswoman returns with the shoebox, "40 EUR/9.5 US," she reads on the outside of the box.

* * *

"What is this?," she asks looking at the brunette that's holding out a box with two outstretched hands.

"I never did find that other shoe," she tells her, "but I went to Marshall's," she opens the box to reveal a new pair of the same wedges.

Fucking sweet seductress, she bought me shoes. She drops the shoebox on the floor of the brunette's apartment, and slips her hands into the pockets of her tight black jeans. She cups the brunette's ass and pulls her in close and begins kissing her. She removes a hand and begins stroking the brunette's inner thigh and brings it to her center, "I want you."

Alex pulls her head back in frustration, puffs out her cheeks and releases the air, "I'm sort of out on commission for a few days Pipes."

Piper whimpers slightly and kisses the side of her neck.

"But wait," the brunette's eyes light up, "I have another present for you," she leaves Piper standing in her bedroom as she waltzes off toward her kitchen. She returns with a box of marzipan cookies, "... to hold you over."


	19. Chapter 19

19

She slipped a mini spoonful of gelato into the blonde's mouth while seated in one of numerous piazza's in Florence, Italy. They made excuses to stop and sit in every piazza they passed through to people-watch and sample new Italian wines over the past few days. Piper presses against Alex's back while waiting on the long coiled line to enter the Duomo.

"I love waking up everyday and not knowing what's going to happen next," she tells Alex softly with her chin resting on her shoulder. The brunette leans the side of her head against that of the blonde, relieved to hear something happy being muttered from her mouth; as soon as she managed to make her way off of Piper's shit list, she found herself right back at the top soon after. Like clockwork, Piper felt the vibration of the brunette's phone against the top of her thigh, "what I don't love, is this fucking phone," she hissed into the brunette's ear before Alex spun around and removed the phone from her pocket. She glanced at the incoming number and gave Piper an apologetic look. The blonde snatched it from her grasp, causing Alex to frown slightly.

"Pipes...," she started to reason.

"No!," she said and slipped it into her purse that lay diagonally across her chest.

"I'll be quick babe, I swear," she said reaching for the blonde's bag, "just let me make sure it's nothing important."

"More important you mean," she said shifting the purse away from Alex.

"At least let me tell him I can't talk right now," her eyebrows narrowed not appreciating having her personal belongings confiscated as if she was a child.

"You said we would have time to be alone, just us."

"We are alone."

"Well it doesn't feel like it when your phone goes off all day and night."

The brunette sighed, taking her hand, "I have to keep in touch babe, I'm sorry, it's part of the job."

The blonde fished into her bag to retrieve the phone that finally stopped buzzing, "it's annoying," she held the phone out to Alex, "you're not entitled to any uninterrupted time away, ever."

She looked at her phone in the palm of her girlfriend's hand, "I'm not exactly part of a union Piper," she said with sorrowful frustration. She loved her job but didn't love looking at the disappointment on the blonde's face. She took her phone but put it back in Piper's bag, "keep it."

"Really?"

She looked at how many people were still in front of them, "yeah. I'm gonna go pee."

She returned after she'd slipped into an internet café to check and send a few emails regarding where they were in the timeline of her latest run, to get an update on the whereabouts of the mules involved. She saw Piper standing to the side of the front of the line waiting, initially looking worried but when she saw the brunette her face went blank and was replaced by anger.

"Where were you?," she said angrily but her eyes started to sting with tears. The blonde shoved her away she went to take her hand, "and you didn't have your fucking phone so I couldn't even call you!"

"I had to pee!," she hissed back.

"For thirty minutes?! I drank the same thing you did, unless you sucked down a fucking keg on the side."

"Could you not drop the f-bomb, we're standing on the grounds of a house of worship. Have some manners."

"Fuck you, Alex," she pushed the brunette's phone into her chest before taking a seat on the curb in front of the cathedral.

"Pipes, c'mon," she said standing next to the blonde who was making a scene, she looked around briefly for a touch of empathy from any of the people standing around nearby. When she met with nothing, she crouched down next to Piper and rested a hand on the blonde's leg. Piper turned away violently forcing Alex to hang onto the step for her support was now facing the other direction. "Pipes, we have the whole city to still explore. You're going to let this ruin the day?" She watched Piper's shoulders drop, there we go, let's just get up and go see the David and end this tantrum. But when Piper slowly turns around and looks at her with perplexity and disgust, her relaxation sifts away.

"I couldn't care less about...," her voice catches in her throat, she throws her arms out, "this!" She looks into Alex's eyes, her feelings of anger and sadness rise, but she swallows them down. Alex sees her fight herself from within, knowing the strength it's taking her to keep it together. She hates to be the person, who knowingly causes this reaction, but feels trapped all the while; the longer they're together the more time she wants to dedicate solely to inducing the exact opposite reaction of what she's been generating more often than ever. She longs to go back to a time where Piper would accept an inflatable flower as a gesture of her regret, a time where Piper was in awe of her, and worshipped her. Back to a time where Piper lit up and ran to the door as she came back from being out all day, but each time she opened the door and Piper nonchalantly waved her in, building the courage to ask the blonde if she was alright wasn't necessary, as it was written clearly across her face. She'd broken her hope too many times, Piper knew better than to get excited to see Alex, for she knew the companionship would be temporary, sometimes as short as a few hours, before "business" took precedent and she was once again left behind. "... there isn't room for both... lose the blonde," she'd hear Fahri's words loud and clear every time the demands of her job grew and made it more clear, she would never be able to fully commit to Piper, but she needed her more than this inescapable reality. She was becoming a master of treading on thin ice, she could practically do a feather-light tap routine on that fucking ice, but she'd managed to dig herself out of any hole she'd gotten herself into.

"Please take this," she placed her phone back into Piper's lap, "I promise, I won't take any calls nor will I make any calls, for the rest of the day."

She takes in Alex's words, and she knows when the brunette looks at her like that, she's trying to be genuine. She won't make any calls but it doesn't mean she won't make a reservation with table service to discuss her antics with someone else in the ring or shoot a quick... it hits her.

"Where were you?," she asks again through her teeth.

"I-told-you- I had to pee." Piper shakes her head with disappointment. Alex reads her and knows Piper already figured it out, she confesses pragmatically, "and then I went to send a couple of emails."

Piper places Alex's phone on the concrete and stands up, she needs to get away from this, this spot, this toxicity, this whirlwind of chaos, this darkness that spirals through it's center that she seems to be drawn to again and again. Her fingers curl into fists, Alex sees her seething, and knows she's a fleck of gun powder from blowing up, but can't resist the urge to place her hand on the girls arm and try to ease the tension. "Piper, just take it," she says as she slips her phone back into Piper's purse and takes both of her hands, "I won't...," she stops abruptly as Piper breaks both of her hands away from Alex's grip and stares with wide open eyes at Alex's fucking phone at the top of her bag.

"Don't patronize me," she angrily smolders and tries to hand the brunette's phone back, when she takes a step back refusing it.

Piper throws the phone to the ground, repulsed by the object, by her girlfriend's action in an attempt to gloss things over. Alex looks down briefly at her phone that's broken into several pieces on the ancient Florencian street. "Piper...," she calls out to the blonde who's purposefully walking away; she spins around and tells Alex not to follow her. The brunette's lips purse, she's suddenly aware of the abundance of eyes staring at her, the on-lookers know not who is at fault, but all the while judge the tirade. Within a few minutes, Piper's out of sightlines. She can't help but feel the sinking in her stomach, but after a while she bends down to pick up the fragments of her phone and sets off in search of a new one, she always comes back.

Piper walks aimlessly occasionally stumbling into curbs and people, who's faces are focused on their maps; she does her best to avert the stares of both the locals and tourists, some of who ask if she's alright as she seems to be lost. She tucks into a library, a calm washes over her briefly as her senses are overtaken by the smell of old books and fresh brewed Italian coffee. After two failed attempts at following the librarian's directions, she explored the shelves on her own in search of anything to read that was printed in English. She finds Neruda's book of Selected Poems and runs her finger down the spine. She flips through it for a moment, recalling other times she's read through it in the past, a time before she knew what love even was, and tucks it under her arm. She uses the library computer and begins an epically long email to Polly; it's strewn with apology regarding her neglect. She pours her heart out describing the highlights of both her relationship and the experiences she's had. She does her best to describe her confusion, her pain, and the depth of her love; she eventually finalizes with the days current events and ultimately asks for advice. She looks at the time and knows it'll be a few hours before Polly is actually awake to read and respond. She sends the email and lets the next person who's waiting for the computer take her seat. She settles between some aisles and begins to read but the silence of the library allows the loudness of her thoughts to ring a bit too loudly, her eyes have gone over the same line over and over again. She looks around and slips the book into her bag before stepping out into the emptying street. As five o'clock nears, shop owners are closing along the Ponte Vecchio, she hears people shout "ciao" in anticipation of retreating home for the evening. She gets a coffee and a sandwich at a discount as they're about to be thrown out and walks along the bridge with intent to make her way across; when she reaches the middle, the space opens, her face is met with a breeze and she's able to look out as far as her eyes let her. She slumps down with her back against the stone and looks out through the arch at the people going home, the reflection of the flickering lights on the placid Arno River, she hears the honking horns from the cars on either side of the footbridge and takes comfort in the noise that surrounds her.

She sips her coffee and pulls out her book, her sandwich balances on the anterior aspect of her outstretched leg. She comes across Sonnet XVII:

 **I do not love you as though you were the salt-rose, topaz or the carnation-arrow begot in flames.**

No, no I fucking don't. Beautiful things those are, and rare and gorgeous you may be, drawing in everyone that's blessed to set their eyes on you. But me? This is far from the reason I love you.

 **I love you as are loved certain dark things, in secret, between shadow and soul.**

Far from perfection, I shouldn't love you. But I do, and I can't help it. I keep this love, I keep it and hold it so deep within myself so that no one else can touch it. It's private and secret, this world I have with you, our connection, this overwhelming pull; it's a unique love that I haven't known before. And I can't truly share it with anyone, nor am I willing to, for I don't know if I have the strength to defend it.

 **I love you as the plant that does not flourish, and carries hidden within itself the light of its flowers,**

I'm captivated by everything within you, the parts that you hold back from others, that only I get to see.

 **and, thanks to your love, there lives darkly in me the quickening aroma that rose from the soil.**

And because of this, my love is deep rooted and true, its naturally always there.

 **I love you . . . I don't know how or when or where. I simply love you, no problem, no pride. I love you thus because I love no other way** ,

I love you and I cant say why, there isn't one reason, I don't know how we came to be, but we are, we're uncontrollably here.

 **except this way, in which I am not and you are not, so close that your hand on my chest is mine, so close that your eyes close on my dreams.**

When it's just us, there's no societal expectations, no pre-destined life for me, no drugs, no cartels, just us, when we can focus on us, there is no I or you. There's us, we're one, so perfectly meshed, like we were put on the earth to find one another and never come apart.

She finds herself begging for this woman to focus on that love that she knows is a kind that so few are fortunate to find, and push her own interests aside. She re-reads it to herself until her eyes are glossed and the words are no longer clear.

"Well there she is, America's Most Wanted."

Her voice. Her eyes light for a moment and she turns around to find Alex with a camera up to her face, she takes a picture.

Does she look more gorgeous because I've been searching for her for six hours or is it just her?

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"I didn't," she walks over toward her and sits down, her legs ache, but her heart is relieved after finding her, "I've been looking for you all fucking day."

Some part of her is glad to hear that Alex put forth a great effort looking for her.

"Pipes, I'm sorry... for underestimating you, for taking advantage of your patience. I know how complicated it is, believe I'm trying to get the space we need but it's like as much as I'm leaning in your direction, they're pulling me with extra force toward them."

Piper opens the book and sets it in front of the brunette's face, "read it."

Alex turns the book over in her hand and looks at the cover, she places her thumb on the inside of the book and lets it close, "I've read this."

"Read it again."

She watches Alex's eyes follow, line by line. Her eyes stop and stare at the page, before she lets it rest in her lap, "I love you too Piper. I miss that feeling of us, without the weight of this hanging over me. I know how complex things are right now, the intensity, I'm trying so hard to balance it all, please hang in there."

Alex looks at her, her face reads, _I'm still fucking here, right? I haven't given up yet, because of that, she glances at the book, our stupid, fucked up, beautiful love. Despite all this shit, I'm here_. She breathes and speaks slowly, "I love picking up and moving, living this gypsy life with you, but I also need something stable. I need... to be able to rely on something... for when things goawry, something constant. I need some kind of constant."

Like a dagger to her chest, Piper's words hit her, it's all too familiar. She remembers staring at the destruction of her kitchen after Piper's attempt to woo her with breakfast in bed. Her epiphany that, while she brought chaos to her life, she had unintentionally become a constant that she'd never had before. This girl was different. Not only did she satisfy the elements of chemical attraction, but she found herself craving her, the comfort, the safety, the reliability. And now she hears Piper, needing this from her, the constant in her life, and she's anything but. The diffidence within upheaved as it often did with this girl who undeniably was like no other she'd ever been around. She'd had no trouble remaining stoic if not sometimes misanthropic with all other human interaction, but this girl challenged her in the best and worst ways possible, and she realized ultimately, she'd never be able to be who she needed her to be.

"You could go home," she suggests with resistance in her voice, as her body literally feels like the life is being sucked out.

"I could go home? And you'd stay here?," she scoffs. "I don't want to go home."

She knows that's not what she wants, her voice faltered with timidity, "I thought you said you liked not knowing what might happen."

"I think...at the root of who I am, I do. I like being surprised, pleasantly surprised. For the first time, I don't have every aspect of my life planned out for me, I don't have to answer to anyone, and I feel... I don't know, alive? Like I'm finally allowed to go where my feet take me and I'm in the moment." Alex nods in understanding. "I think you've been the only person who's truly seen me, just be."

She listens on as Piper speaks of her battles with an uncomfortable melancholy, and if her tone was more certain, perhaps the unsettled matter in her core would be able to lump together and adhere, giving her that same comfort that she used to be able to rely on. But while she felt as though her actions could be anticipated, the only anticipatory aspect of Piper was her ability to waver. The back and forth with doing the right thing versus following fate, her sexual preferences, her commitment to helping her with the cartel, was she in or was she out? Her face contorts, she knows exactly where Piper is coming from, she is a girl who wants to let life happen but with a need for an underlying constant love that is loyal, reliably steady and devoted. If she verbalizes all the ways she's wrong for her, she can't guarantee Piper won't up and leave in this exact moment and she has not the strength.

"I have seen you, 'just be,' she makes quotation marks with her fingers. She nods slowly with a small frown, "I know you."

"I love not being tied down."

"Unrestrained."

"Yes!," she says excitedly as Alex is completely in tune with her for a moment. "But parts of me also need consistency."

"I'm pretty consistent."

"Your personality might be, but your presence isn't." She blurts it out, unwilling to dance around the reality, because she needs truth, right now, she needs to annihilate any pretense.

Fuck. She hears her heartbeat in her ears, bomp bomp, bomp bomp, bomp bomp. She sees Piper stand up, she's going to up and leave.

Piper's hands cup behind her neck before she pivots suddenly, Alex hears her blow the air out of her mouth from her puffed cheeks, "I'm tired of playing by the rules, I want to do something meaningful and beautiful and unpredictable. And I want you. I want all of you, to myself, always."

The brunette's lips part momentarily, well you're nailing the unpredictable.

"And I know I can't have that." She looks up at Piper who she was sure was about to say she was done, and hears her rant on.

"It's been a long trip," Alex says to her.

"It has been, and it's been great. But sometimes at the end of the day, you just want..."

Alex looks at her and finishes her sentence, "... to go home?"

Thoroughly exhausted, she sits back down beside Alex and folds her body over leaning her forehead against her knees, the backs of her hands hang against the ground.

"Do you think I'm crazy?," she asks Alex while speaking into her legs.

"I think at times you make me tired. Scratch that, more like drained."

"Can't keep up with my need to conquer the world while simultaneously laying in bed with you indefinitely and doing absolutely nothing?"

Alex snickers, "yeah I forgot to put on my roller skates this morning."

"Sorry. I just, I don't know, I fear that nothing will ever be enough, that you could literally be curled inside me and I'll need you to go deeper. "

"Jesus."

"Or I'll spend a month somewhere and still feel like I need more time. And I don't know what I'll do, but I think I'd do whatever it is to make it happen. And that scares me because I'm getting to a point, where I don't care. I don't know what I'm capable of."

Alex looks at her as if she's the only bottle of water, San Pellegrino nonetheless, in the desert where every ounce of moisture has been stolen from her body. This drive to just go for it, and not give a fuck. "Well a wise woman once said, 'well behaved girls rarely make history.'"

Piper turns her face, her cheek is still pressed against her knee, she raises her eyebrow at Alex's words of advice.

"What? Eleanor Roosevelt said that, I didn't pull it out of my ass."

"Or Marilyn Monroe or Anne Boelyn," she slurs.

"Do you always have to do that?"

"I'm afraid I do," she admits abashed. She sits upright and rests the side of her head on Alex's shoulder. She feels the brunette drape her arm around her waist and settle on her hip, she pulls her in snugly against her body and feels her hair against her face before the brunette's head settles against hers. She smells her, and that smell, it dives into her deeply and spreads all the way to the ends of her fingertips, eliciting visceral tears; tears of inevitable longing, needing, belonging. She rakes her hand up Alex's leg, "I guess sometimes I do just need to come home."


	20. Chapter 20

20

"Making our way around the coast kid," Alex leans the chair at the desk back just slightly as she reads some emails.

"Am I the Thelma to your Louise?," Piper asks laying on her back, she sets her book down and tilts her head back toward the desk.

"Oh man, Geena Davis is so hot."

"Which one is she?"

Alex gasps into her throat and whips her head around, "uh, the hot one!"

Piper turns over onto her stomach and looks at her willing her to divulge more.

"You're serious. Wow. The one who isn't Susan Sarandon." Alex googles her and points to the screen.

Piper comes over and lets her arms drape over Alex's shoulders from behind. "She's really pretty."

Pretty? No. Alex glares at her and pretends she didn't go there. She x's out the window and her destination plans pull up, Piper reads through some of the details. She had been to Rome once before but it had been with her family and it was only for a day, a port stop on their cruise.

Piper goes out on her own, day after day and only when she begs Alex to come out with her does the brunette comply and allows herself to spend an hour or so in the late evening walking along ancient Rome. From the moment the email's came through, Alex had been very honest with her and laid out what she needed to get done, along with details of her deadlines, threats included. It isn't so much the actions that made Piper sick to her stomach, but the tone of the threats and sound of Alex's voice as she steps away from her; she retreats behind closed doors of their expansive hotel suite, to have private conversations. The brunette returns, always looking beaten after those calls but after this one she not only looks defeated but annoyed. Alex flops on the bed, her legs hang off the side but she turns her head over to Piper who looks at her concerned. She closes her eyes for a second of rest and stretches her pale arm out; Piper lays into her, and she gently traces her fingers along the brunette's neck.

"Can you do me a favor?," Alex asks sitting up. Piper looks up at her from the bed.

"I literally don't have time to even lay down right now. Can you meet up with Jack?," she asks trying to buy herself more time to get what she needs to get done and not deal with Jack's latest revelation.

"Jack? _You're_ asking me to see Jack?," she asked surprised, "alone?"

"Yes, alone, can you do that? Or do I need to go myself?"

Whoa. "I guess I'm just asking because... last time...," she snickers, "never mind."

"Last time, what? He hit on you," she shrugs, "big deal. Did you like it? Do I think if you're around him alone that something's going to evolve? Jesus Christ Piper, I don't have time for this. Can you go or not?"

She looks at the hardness of Alex's face, her eyebrows are furrowed so forcefully they're almost touching.

"And what if it's not me he wants to see?"

"He likes you," she shrugs a single shoulder and frowns slightly. She places a firm hand around

Piper's ribcage and squeezes, "and I trust you."

Piper nods in agreement, she knows she's trusted, and yes she'll go. Alex's feet drag over to the table where she scribbled where he's staying on a piece of hotel paper, "he's in Vatican City."

Piper looks at the address with uncertainty, "how am I supposed to get here?"

"Four years of college and literally have had everything handed right to you," she mumbles just loud enough for Piper to catch keywords. "I can't do everything," she snaps, "just... get a cab," her voice pleads with strain. She walks away leaving Piper standing with the tiny white paper in her hand. She loops her leather purse over her shoulder and steps out.

She raps on the door, the gateway to where Jack supposedly is. He lets her in and instantly she knows something is wrong with him. He's slow moving and cool like the way he always was but his eyes are glazed over, his pupils are small, pinpoint in diameter. She doesn't have that same feeling of comfort she had immediately after seeing him for the first time, his accent sounding of home, his nonchalant offer of the six-pack. This behavior what not something she'd seen before. She took a seat across the table from him, she drew a leg up onto the chair in an urge to feel more relaxed, but all she felt was incommodious dread.

"So, she sent you," he realizes after they've been staring at each other for a solid five minutes, his speech is slow.

"She didn't send me, she asked. I said yes." I'm wondering why the hell I said yes, how I continue to end up in these situations, but here I am.

He points his finger at her but says nothing for a while.

"So Alex said you needed to see her? Had something to show her?"

He raises his finger toward her again, "do you want something?"

She looks at him again, not what you're on, "do you have water?"

He scrunches his face and thinks, "I have a faucet," he grins amusedly at himself, the look on his face again makes Piper uneasy.

"I meant in a bottle?"

He stands up without the slightest bit of urgency and traipses toward the kitchen.

Her thumbs move fast over the keys on her phone, **You need to come here.**

 **No, that's exactly why you're there.**

Piper's hand clenches around her phone when it lights up again, **What's up?**

 **He's on something.**

 **It's Jack?**

Does she really think I'd bother her over marijuana? **It's not Mary Jane...**

 **Who's this Mary Jane? She hot?**

 **Can you please just fucking come?**

 **Behave baby ;)**

 **I'm fucking serious Alex! He's scaring me.**

Roughly half an hour later, Alex texts her and said she's walking down the street, Piper waits by the door to let her in.

"Hey!," he exclaims with as much energy as he has and barely lifts his wrist to wave as Alex turns her back to him and Piper shuts the door.

She grabs Piper's hand and lightly squeezes it, "are you okay?," her voice is deep.

She nods her head quickly and looks at Alex with her big Bambi eyes. Alex moves the blonde's hair away from her face, Piper looks over Alex's shoulder in Jack's direction, "on the chair," she says above a whisper.

"Whose is that?," she asks Jack noting how large the packaging is.

He doesn't respond other than a slight turn of his head.

She all but stomps over towards the chair, and slams the large brick of heroin onto the table.

His mouth opens, there it is!, "when in Rome right?," he says and picks at the edge and starts taping out the powder on the table.

"The hell are you doing? Whose is it?," she asks again with fear in her voice. Piper than realizes she's asking "whose" implying it was from another supplier.

"Calm-your-tits," he says so slowly, that it takes her restrain to not shake it out of him faster. "You," he points at Alex, "need to try this."

She shakes her head with such annoyance as he makes three lines on the table.

"I thought that, because the amount in each package was so big, the product would fall short," he snorts in roughly and takes a hit and laughs, "but nah, it's better and it's cheaper."

"Well I guess you'd know," she nods disappointed and instinctively moves Piper further behind her. She slams her fist into the table, causing the powder to bounce out of the extra lines he created for them.

"They're going to kill you, you know that?," she shouts at him. He leans back without a care in the world and looks content. She takes a step back, knocking into Piper, "we gotta go."

Piper's eyes widen, "go?"

"Yes. Now! They probably already know."

"W-we can't just leave him here...like this. He's your friend."

"He's not my...," she stops as worry overcomes her face," ...that's why I'm not ratting him out. We have to go. Now."

In the cab back to the hotel, Piper asks Alex, "did you not know anything was up with him? When he called..."

"Not now," Alex interrupts her. She recedes, feeling chastised like a child.

Before the door to the hotel closes, Piper begins again, but after having to hold it in the whole ride back, she's more irate, "his voice. You'd be able to tell right away when you spoke to him!"

"I thought something might be up with him..."

"And you still sent me to go! And we left him!"

"I didn't send you, I asked," she immediately corrects Piper, sick of her failing to take responsibility for her own actions, "and I never thought he'd get mixed up in this." She slumps into the desk chair and leans into her hands, "do you have any idea how deep I'm in?"

"You're in? Alex we left him out of his mind! What are they going to do to him?"

Completely ignoring Piper, her mind runs rampant, "what the hell am I supposed to tell them when they come to me?"

Piper watches her, lost in her thoughts. She hugs her own knees to her chest while Alex mumbles to herself, "it's the second one this year...Jack...I'm not paying enough attention."

Piper's voice cracks, "we-just-left-him." She speaks louder, "how is this okay for you!?"

She turns at Piper, defense in her tone, "stop it! He's an adult. Ultimately they're all adults. I can't be responsible for everyone else," she dramatically concludes, angry at the unrealistic expectations that weigh on her daily,..." and that's exactly what I'll tell them."

The sixth episode in the Law or Order marathon plays on. For weeks Alex continues with her plans throughout Rome, all the while sitting at the edge of her seat waiting for a phone call, or for an unsuspected run in with Fahri, harping on how she was responsible for Jack's erroneous choices. And then it comes,

 **Majorca, two weeks. Boss says he misses you. Bring the family.**

"Misses me," Piper hears Alex yell on the phone through the door.

She walks back out muttering "live it up," while she chucks her phone onto the bed. "Well kid, your wish is my command. I'm off for two weeks."

"What?!," Piper can hardly contain her excitement.

Alex smiles back lightly lets her hand rest on Piper's head before stroking her hair back, "yeah."

Piper pulls her head back, "wait. How do you all of a sudden have two weeks? What happened?"

Alex fills her in on her conversation with Fahri, concluding with needing to meet with him and Kubra soon.

"But what if he's impressed with you and wants to move you up and it's got nothing to do with Jack?"

Alex rolls her eyes, "and lets just say it's not about Jack, which it most definitely definitely is, either way I'm fucked."

"He said to 'live it up,' right? Maybe because you're going to be busy with increased supply?"

"Or because he wants to slice into my body and peel the skin off my bones."

Piper shoots her a look of terror, she regrets thinking out loud.

"Hey," she says to Piper and straddles her, "It's gonna be fine. Really."

"Has he ever done anything before?"

Alex pinches her lips together, "no more." She removes her grasp on the blonde's lips, and interlaces Piper's fingers with her own."Threatened only, I've always gotten out of everything. I'm one of his top girls Pipes," she reasons and nods to herself, "no worries."

* * *

The catamaran rocks as other boats pass by in the opposite direction, causing small waves as they circle around the island of Capri. They linger toward the back of the boat, admiring the homes on top of the island and the stalagmite filled crevices of the white grotto. She finds Alex's hand and holds it tight as she leans over the boat just a little to look at the water. The squeeze she feels from Piper's hand causes an involuntary curl of her lips, she squeezes back.

"This has got to be the deepest blue that I have ever seen," she says to Alex.

"Just wait," she says as she stares into Piper's light blue eyes and reasons while they're not as deep, there's no contest to which she finds the most appealing, "c'mon." She pulls Piper along the side of the boat, the sea breeze winds through the blonde's hair causing her natural wave of her hair to increase in volume. A large lowercase "n" shaped rock comes into full view as they approach some empty space toward the front of the boat.

"That's the Tunnel of Love," Alex tells her recognizing it from the bit of research she had done. "You hafta kiss me underneath it," she tells her as she brushes a now personality filled curl away from Piper's face, "s'the rules."

Piper scrunches up her face and nods.

"So what was better Mediterranean with the family, or mmm..."

Piper kisses her, shutting her up while she feels a small bit of relief in the dark shade that overcomes them as they kiss directly beneath this supposed love tunnel.

Piper releases the kiss, and rubs her nose along Alex's nose, the brunette finally opens her eyes.

"Were you gonna say 'mmme?,'" Piper tries to clarify.

Alex raises her brow and smiles.

"Or mmm-making out with me under this Tunnel of Love," she mocks. Their boat slowed down some as it came around the bend.

"What's everyone doing?," she asks Alex. There was a long line of people along the perimeter of the large rock island they were cruising around, along with many small paddle boats that bobbed around this one inlet.

Alex places her hand on he back of Piper's head and turns it in the direction of a small opening in the rock, she points low, "grotta azzura."

Alex steps into the small paddle boat that pulls up along their boat. She grabs Piper's hand until she's in and she takes the back most corner. The man paddling the boat, starts huming a melody and inches toward he narrow small hole in the cave. They watch as he reaches his hand up to grab a thick rope that leads into the cave.

"You sit here," he tells Piper and points toward Alex's center.

"Ugh, I love this country."

Piper smacks Alex playfully, before nestling between Alex's legs, "yes sir."

"And now lay," he continues.

"What?," Piper asks, not sure if he has his own intentions, she looks around and sees that people in other boats are being given similar instructions.

"Are you complaining?," Alex asks her as she reclines almost completely onto her back as Piper leans back into her, tilting her chin up toward Alex's ear, "never."

Alex wraps her arms around her waist and rests them along the belt loops of Piper's shorts. The man walks his hands across the rope and pulls them into the grotto. They sit upright once inside, the already surreal blue water is now illuminated all around them. "Oh my God!," she says squeezing Alex's leg.

"This is incredible." The echo in the cave along with the darkness above them and the glow beneath them, made the moment they were sharing in this magical space feel sacred. Piper reclines back into Alex once more. They float around the water, soaking up the tranquility of this special spot in the middle of the sea.

* * *

She wakes up feeling groggy, not remembering how she got herself to bed. She squints in the direction of the alarm clock. She slips her glasses on and looks around the room, Majorca, before she throws her head to the side and sees Piper lying beside her.

She pulls Piper's hair away from her face and kisses her ear, "Pipes."

Piper grunts, "morning."

"What time did you get in last night?"

"Couple hours ago."

"Did they do anything to you?," her tone causes Piper's eyes to open. "Why didn't you come with me?"

"I was having a good time," she sits up on her elbows. "They didn't do anything to me, like what? They were both really nice."

"I think they drugged me."

"What?," she looks at Alex unreasonably. "No. No, you said you were tired, "so fuckin tired," to be exact, and wanted to go upstairs."

"I wouldn't have left you with them. What did they say to you?"

"Nothing, just small talk. Why are you so upset? I thought you said everything would be fine." Alex inhales uneasily.

"Kubra didn't seem angry with you at all last night. He thinks you're special, to which I couldn't help but agree," she tells Alex running a hand up her body, but the brunette doesn't budge. Piper's body sulks at the lack of reaction, "he had nothing but wonderful things to say about you."

Alex raises an eyebrow at her.

Piper searches through her things from the night before that she discarded beside the bed. She pulls her phone out, "it's my dad's birthday. I should call him." She pulls the sheet away from her body and sits up.

Alex stops her, "it's 3 in the morning on the east coast. Wait til later."

Early afternoon, Alex's listens to Piper's admiration of the green landscape that surrounds the pool house. The blonde rests comfortably along Alex's side, her bent legs drape over the brunette's, the pool water laps at their skin. Alex cant help but relax as Piper massages the back of her neck repeatedly, her eyes shut, her body slacks.

Upon spotting the inseparable pair, Kubra settles into a chair on the same end of the pool. He lights a cigar, and orders them a round of mojitos. A sidekick takes the chair beside him while Fahri lowers himself onto the edge perpendicular to wear the women are seated within the pool.

"You let me down. You're a let down," Kubra tells her. He says it jokingly, but she knows the tone does not match the sincerity behind his words. She keeps it going for Piper's sake,

"It was 3 AM, I feel like anything after 2AM, you're not bailing, youre just tired!," she laughs it off and sips her mojito. Piper drapes herself along Alex's body, she caresses her tenderly without inhibition.

"But you missed the live sex show," Piper says with an innocent disappointment.

"And the flamingos," Fahri adds.

"Oh the flamingos that's right, there were flamingos," Piper recalls. She wraps her arms around Alex, her wrists overlap and rest on the brunette's bare shoulder.

"Kubra had a front row seat to both," Fahri adds details.

"Uh huh," Alex listens on.

"So much pink," Kubra confirms.

The girls look at each other and laugh at the commentary and their enjoyment of pink. Kubra's phone rings, he answers and starts yelling in Arabic.

"I think its time for me to go call my dad," Piper says.

"Oh, tell Bill I said Happy Birthday."

"You don't exist remember?

"That's right, I'm the invisible woman. Maybe I should switch careers and become a jewel thief." She plants a kiss on Alex's lips before telling her to,

"steal me something good."

Kubra disdainfully watches Piper swim across the pool and then looks at Alex. She raises a hand to him until she hears Piper delightedly scream, "Happy Birthday daddy!"

"Precious," he mutters and puffs his cigar.

She turns back to him, her eyes dart back and forth between him and Fahri, "did you drug me?!"

"You're on top of each other, all day. Like a fly to shit," Kubra says to her irritated.

"We wanted her alone," Fahri adds.

"For what?," she asks fiercely and takes another sip from her mojito.

Kubra reaches down and slaps the glass from her hand, "do you think this is a fucking vacation?" Fahri doesn't flinch as the glass sinks down beside him. He tried to prevent this for her, he pinches the rim of the glass and sets it on edge of the pool. "Two weeks, no imports, no profits, nothing! Because you fucked up. Everything I have taught you. Your judgment is lacking."

"I've brought in more for you in the last six months than ever before."

He nods in agreement,"and your skill is something I admire. However, you lost two runners this year for not supervising properly."

She bites her tongue.

"And your awareness of his dabbling in the competitor's market, sampling the merchandise, therefore jeopardizing the whole operation," he hisses in a deep voice, "didn't seem to make it to the top of your priority at all, never mind informing me." He reclines back into his chair and crosses his hands before resting them on his waist, "do you know how important my time is? My resources? Using my men to clean up your mess," he says with disgust.

He killed him, he actually fucking killed him. Her mouth suddenly feels dry, she can feel the cotton on her tongue. She clenches her jaw, "I cannot realistically be responsible for all of them. Jack never did anything against the cartel before. I worked with him, closely, for more than five years."

"And now you don't," Fahri tells her turning his back to her and resting his arms along the edge of the pool.

"And now we seem to have an opening to fill," Kubra leans forward onto his knees.

Alex sidles up next to Fahri and mimics his position she purses her lips. Kubra looks in Piper's direction.

Alex's lips part, her jaw relaxes, "no way," she exhales and shakes her head, " I don't want her to get involved."

"She's already involved."

She stares at Fahri, "she hasn't done anything."

"Flight record in Belgium seems to disagree with you."

"Spoke to her lots last night, she'd be great. She sure loves you, will do anything you ask."


	21. Chapter 21

21

 _She sure loves you, will do anything you ask._

She wasn't so sure anymore.

Maybe.

Once upon a time, when the idea of hopping on a plane, being spoiled by Alex while jetting half way across the world, was more appealing. Once upon a time, when taking a risk and doing something dangerous, had some kind of mysterious appeal.

But now?

Now, after hearing the anger and fear in her lover's voice, repeatedly, while being reamed by those on a higher rung of the ladder, followed by "I have to go... you know I don't want to...business," and being left behind in favor of work, she wasn't so sure.

 _Better in the abstract._ No shit. If you would've told her, she'd find a girl who'd make her think twice about this job, she would've asked you how many shots you'd taken. With Piper out of the picture, the job was great: never worrying about a cash flow, globetrotting like she had the key to every castle, people chasing after her for direction, attention, just a look of approval, she had it all in the palm of her hand. But it was proven time after time, that this life and Piper, were impossible to balance.

Yeah. She could count the times on her hand, that Piper said she was through. Through with being second, through with bouncing from country to country, through with them. There was shouting, rage bottled up in her fists, as she knelt on the bed of whatever hotel room they were in for the month, repetitive punching of the nearest pillow until the fists relaxed, defeated. She'd seen the anger melt away, and the pain take over as she melted into the bed and cried. Alex sits beside her on the bed, she places a hand on the blonde's back, that shakes through her muffled sobs.

"I don't know how to live without you anymore," Piper says with her face pressed into her pillow. Alex brushes the blonde strands away from her face.

"Then don't," she replies wiping away Piper's tears.

"If anyone knew the details of what I was doing, they'd say I was insane."

"Maybe," the brunette says and shrugs a shoulder, "but think of all the stories youll have."

Piper glares at the response she's heard fall from the brunette's lips, in times when things didn't go according to plan.

"Look Pipes," she'd start, as she curled her body to mirror the blonde's and lay on the bed next to her.

And then she'd list.

List all of the ways staying would benefit her, "...avoid conventionalism...live without restrain...wake up in the same fucking hemisphere... visit all of the places we've yet to see...all of the places we haven't left our mark."

The blonde exhales deeply and looks into the eyes of the brunette; just looking into her eyes was enough to stay around long enough for one more. One more flight. One more country. One more opportunity for Alex, not to let her work consume her.

And so here they were.

Alex looks down at Piper sleeping on her shoulder aboard their flight to Barcelona as the flight attendant comes to collect any remaining trash. _She sure loves you, will do anything you ask_. She peers out the window and hopes she can come up with something, that'll buy her more than a promise of one more.

Over the past few weeks, things between them had been okay. When she looks out the window, it's still dark, the streets of the normally busy Avinguda Diagonal are empty and quiet. She removes the Lonely Planet Barcelona book that Piper has, flattened, across her chest and puts it aside. She pecks the blonde on her head and gets an early start on her day. This is how she's been surviving. Working before her girlfriend was even aware that a new day had come, leaving more time during "normal people" hours as the blonde coined, for them to be spend together. They spend the majority of mid-day's out, exploring together, until the calls could no longer be deferred. This increase in time kept the blonde satisfied, and they had slightly more routine. Dinners would generally be together, the brunette was careful not to promise that her phone would be turned off, but Piper didn't seem to mind as much after having alone time for the majority of the day. The blonde would slip in and out of consciousness late into the evenings, where Alex would slip in and out of bed working late into the night. She'd only get a few hours of sleep, but thanks to the strength of Spanish coffee and Piper's regular smile, it had been manageable.

On rare evenings, they join some other members of the cartel, having a few drinks in popular spots, buying out VIP corners, helping themselves to whatever was offered through table service.

One particular evening, in their hotel room, she sees Piper tiptoe out of the bathroom and sets herself up in front of the mirror over the desk to apply her makeup. Alex takes in the sight of her, in her fitted black dress, as she ends her call. Her hair hadn't dried, her eyes trail down her body, the blonde's on her toes though she's more than tall enough to have a full view in the mirror, the muscles of her calves call out to her. She gets off the bed and plants a kiss on the blonde's neck.

"What time do we need to be out of here? Like how much time will it take to...," Alex cuts her off,

"whenever you're ready. Why're you doing this in here?," she asks, while sifting through Piper's makeup bag and withdraws her mascara.

"Better lighting."

"Mmmkay. I just need to make a quick stop before we go..."

Piper stops midway through her eyeliner application and turns to Alex.

The brunette turns Piper's face back in the direction of the mirror and stands behind her, pressing her into the desk.

The blonde opens her mouth to complain, when a pale hand covers it, and warm lips starts to work at her neck. She nibbles gently as her arm tightens around the blonde's body, firmly.

"It'll," nibble, "take," kiss, "five," nibble, "minutes."

Piper shakes out her shoulders, ridding her body of the chills that just overtook. She looks at Alex through the mirror, the brunette raises her eyebrows lustfully and removes her hand. Piper returns the look but opens her mouth to give a snide remark, when the hand is replaced muffling her sounds. She feels the lips return to her neck.

"Ten," nibble, "minutes," kiss, "tops." Her hand drags down and pulls the hem of the black dress up slowly, her hand brushes past the line of Piper's black lace panties, which are so skimpy, the brunette confirms, they may as well not even be there.

The blonde thrusts her ass back, causing the brunette to back away with a chuckle.

Alex hits the light in the bathroom, the room stays dark. She flips the toggle multiple times, but it still stays dark. She glances back toward Piper,

"Pipes, did you...," but the blonde is gone, curled and hiding underneath the blanket on their bed. The brunette sees the charred prongs of their hair dryer plug hanging over the rim of the trash.

She slowly walks over to the bed and pulls the blanket up over the blonde, "again?"

Piper smiles innocently at her, "it looked like it fit properly so I thought the voltage would be fine."

Alex chuckles, "babe, you have to use the converter."

"I knowww," she says and goes to get up.

The brunette pins her arms to the bed and mounts her, she leans in close and kisses her, "at least you don't really need it." She releases her grasp on the blonde's arms and brushes her fingers through her hair, "fuckin beautiful."

She leaves Piper on Las Ramblas, a highly populated walk filled with vendors and shops, while she stops into exchange information that wasn't to be discussed on the phone. Within ten minutes she's back, and Piper's more than shocked to see Alex panting when she returns, having ran in heels, to ensure she'd kept her promise.

Piper pulls out her foldable tourist map, much to Alex's embarrassment, and figures out where they are in relation to the Flamenco bar.

"Piper, I know where it is. We could still go to a nicer one..."

"No. I want to lead us there. And I want to go to this one," she places her finger in the middle of a plaza on her map. It was well reviewed, and its small."

"Whatever you want," she tells her.

The blonde smiles and loops her arm through the brunette's as they walk underneath the tree covered walk.

"It'll be more intimate," she whispers into Alex's ear, as if this detail would convince her that she knew what she was doing.

As they walk into the bar, Piper squees with pride as she managed to find the place, got a good price, and the place is sweetly intimate with dim lighting and little candles set on the tables.

Piper grabs them a table for two off to the side, while Alex wastes no time, ordering them a bottle of cava. When she sets it on the table, Piper opens it without the difficulty she had when she attempted to on a New Years Eve that seemed so long ago. She fills their little wine glasses and hands one to Alex.

"Soooo?," she waits for the brunette to confirm the place wasn't a total disaster.

She takes her glass from Piper, "you did good kid."

She clinks her glass against Alex's, "and so that means?...," she takes a sip.

"Maybe not every place that's listed in a tour book is complete crap," she says reluctantly. She purses her lips, before smirking at the blonde's gloat and takes a sip from her glass.

Piper forces herself to gulp the contents of her mouth before it spills out through her teeth, "I'm sorry so who was right?"

"Piper..."

"Who? I can't hear you. What?"

"You were right."

"What?," she says pinching her ear lobe to wiggle it.

"You were right," the brunette laughs and rolls her eyes.

"Right! And who was wrong?"

"I was wrong," she says staring at the blonde, expressionless.

"This needs to be documented." She drags a slightly soggy napkin across the table until it's in front of her and puts her hand up. A waiter comes over, she scribbles in the air, indicating her need for a writing device, and proceeds to document the date and time on the napkin, "...Vause admits that Piper Elizabeth Chapman was right."

With her tongue in her cheek, the brunette laughs and steals the napkin from the blonde, and plunges it between her cleavage.

Initially the blonde's mouth dropped but then turns into a smile when the brunette teases, "come and get it."

As the show starts, the castanets clap, the lights dim slightly, the brunette pulls the blonde's chair over toward her. They play footsie under the table, their hands stay clasped together, with their fingers intertwined on the cool marble surface, only breaking apart to give applause. Condensation accumulates and drips down the dark green bottle, the blonde drags her pointer through the water and draws a heart.

She pokes Alex and points to her artwork. The brunette rolls her eyes, and turns her head away from Piper, trying to mask her expression, but she doesnt move quick enough as Piper catches the blush that's as plain as day across her face.

As one set ends, the intermission is filled with smooth music, as people talk, some try to imitate dance moves, some get more drinks.

"Dance with me," the brunette invites as she sits straight up and pushes back from the table. Piper slightly buzzed, looks around, and beckons her closer, "no one else is dancing."

"Lets be the first then," she stands up and holds her hand out.

Piper downs the remaining sip in the glass and takes Alex's hand. As first she's giggly as her hands are pressed into Alex's as they cornily dance in a corner of the room. But when she turns her around and presses her body along Piper's body, it suddenly doesn't seem so funny anymore. She pushes her back against Alex's chest, tilts her head back and rests it on the brunette's shoulder. She feels Alex lean her head against hers, her hips sway, her agile hand follows the curve of her hip, across her lower abdomen and presses into her firmly. Alex can feel Piper's cheek push against, her, she must be smiling. Piper notices a few people glance in their direction, they must look odd, she thinks, randomly swaying in some corner to barely audible music, while other people chat around them. But she doesn't care. _I'll never see these people again in my life. And it feels liberating, going for something you want in the moment, abandoning all reserve_. She loves that feeling.

As the wooden clogs start to hit the stage again, they break apart slightly,

"you want something else to drink?," she asks Piper, their fingers still interlaced. She nods once, "tequila."

"Really?," she raises an eyebrow.

Piper squints, a fuck you glance and nods her head again.

The brunette makes her way between tables to get to the small bar as Piper takes a seat. She rests her chin on the back of her hand that's pressed against the table while she listens to the beat of the dancers shoes with her eyes closed.

The brunette leans down next to her a moment later, placing the shots of tequila on the table, she kisses Piper on her temple and takes a seat. The blonde barely moves, just sighs as the brunette sits down beside her, she magnetically finds her hand once again. Alex leans her head onto the table, mimicking Piper. The flicker from the tea light candle illuminates their faces, casting dancing shadows over their gaze, as they stare at each other sensually. Their eyes are locked, the blonde feels her breathing become heavier, she wets her lips as Alex winks, she's taken back...

* * *

The interlude-esque music plays overhead, as she sets her drink on the bar and hears the boom of the brunette's voice direct the losers of the game she's playing to take "shots." She wasn't sure why she came here, if she just wanted to see her in her own element, or if there'd be an attempt at reconciliation. The idea of pursuing a woman who was already taken by someone else, didn't sit well in her core, but if she was willing to take her home once before, what kind of relationship did Alex and Sylvia really have? She tried not to look at her, as her auburn haired girlfriend's arms were draped all over her, but she couldn't help it once she heard the coin miss the cup, followed by deep laughter. Piper turned her head over her right shoulder, determined to catch a glimpse of the brunette's smile, even if she hadn't been the cause of it. She sees the brunette down a shot and then follows her reflection in the mirror above the bar, before she gets up from the bar and follows the brunette toward the bathroom.

"Hey," she says slightly startling the brunette causing her to turn around.

She looks Piper up and down, surprised to see her, unable to hide her smile, "hey." She makes sure her girlfriend is out of range and mumbles, "what are you doin here?"

Piper looks back as well, not wanting to resume her status as Sylvia's punching bag, "oh I was just...um...I heard about the Burlesque show?," she offers, knowing the brunette could read her lie.

Bullshit. "Oh," the brunette says while trying to stifle her laughter. She didn't need the real reason, she was just happy to see her.

"You?"

"My friend Rachel's in it? She does this routine with a Ray Romano puppet. It's surprisingly sexy."

They laugh. It was so easy, she thought, as she watched the blonde laugh with her. The few times they hung out, or talked, had felt so natural, there was this chemistry that just took over. If there was anyway, they could ever hook up again, she needed to admit she fucked up.

"Look, I'm really sorry about that night, Piper. I'm not a shady person."

"Oh, come on, don't worry about it," she tried to play off how mortifying that evening was, "I mean, I've never been punched before. It was probably a good life experience."

See, she's trying to joke off your fuck up, she's a down girl. "I meant it when I said that things were complicated. I'm new to this whole relationship thing. You know, I don't...I don't know the rules," she admitted.

"That's the whole problem, isn't it? Rules aren't any fun." They weren't when they were the reason they weren't leaning up against this cedar paneled wall and making out like teenagers. She half expected the brunette to pin her right there and then, and say she was right, to fuck the rules and they should just give into the heat between them.

But when the bathroom door opened, and she didn't feel the brunette's embrace, for a moment, she felt embarrassed. She wanted to back away, forgetting she'd ever come here, forgetting she'd come into this hallway seeking some kind of rebound.

But she'd be damned if she just wasted her time, waiting for the brunette to leave her apartment that evening, to follow her and try to have what was supposed to be this impromptu face to face interaction. She'd tried to stop thinking about her. Tried every which way to reason with herself, that no sensible person would ever crave another, who lured her into bed, convinced her to let her go down on her, while in the same reality failed to mention she had a girlfriend. It was in that moment that Piper realized, she wasn't a sensible person. She was a person who knowingly wanted something, that all logical explanations deemed, she shouldn't. But she didn't care. This woman made her feel things, gave her urges, that she'd never had before, and she had this undying need to fulfill those desires.

"Listen, I don't want to stand in the way of true love," the blonde tells her, Alex's hand grips the paneling, steadying herself as the blonde continues, "I mean, if that is your future wife out there, by all means, tell me to back off. But you pursued me, and I liked it." This is not how she imagined it all, not what she said in her dialogue when she practiced how she'd approach her. She continued, trying not to let her inhibition leak through, "I've...I've never felt," she stops as the brunette's eyebrows raise in amusement, wondering how she'll finish this sentence. Alex wants to retort, she fights the urge to make fun of the blonde putting all her feelings out there in this hallway outside of a bar's bathroom.

"You know, I've never really thought of myself as a very sexual person," Piper confesses as the brunette bounces in her step with glee, "but ever since..." she pauses and leans in to whisper, the brunette listens, relieved and ready to hear that the blonde wanted to feel her again after their romp in her sheets..., "I want to taste what you taste like."

She melts at the sensuality of the blonde's words, never expecting that she'd ever hear the sexiest thing she'd ever heard in her entire existence. She's barely able to take a breath as Piper pulls away from her ear. She cups the nape of Piper's neck, and slowly pulls her in, pressing her lips against hers. She starts to get lost, their breathing gets heavier as their kiss becomes more passionate. She feels Piper's hands start to roam her body, the throbbing starts between her legs. Alex pulls away, just to turn the knob of the bathroom door, to sneak in and let this girl taste what she tastes like.

She steps into the bathroom, and drags the blonde, who she's sure had no intent of having her skills tested in a public bathroom, behind her, and she reaches around her to pull the door shut. They resume their kissing and blonde's hands start slowly wandering aimlessly. Alex starts unbuttoning her pants, she brings Piper's hands to the waist, regretfully speaking, "I don't have a lot of time."

The blonde nods quickly as she hooks her thumbs along the waists of both the brunette's thong and her leather pants, and pulls them down in one shot. The brunette steps out of them, kicking them off to the side, as she feels the blonde's hand graze her inner thighs while getting down on her knees.

Alex holds onto the edge of the sink, as she brings a leg over the blonde's shoulder; she feels Piper exhale with hot breath against her core. She feels the blonde tentatively lap with the tip of her tongue before dragging it up the full length of her. She places a hand on Piper's head as she slowly starts to work her, like a kitten to milk, she's gentle and slow. She's teasing.

She's savoring actually, she'd thrown all rational reasoning to the wind and gave into what she craved, what she damn near obsessed about for weeks. She concentrated on her opening, moving her tongue in deeper as she felt Alex's grasp tighten behind her neck.

"Higher," the brunette panted, needing the blonde on her most sensitive spot.

Without hesitation, she feels the blonde's mouth trail upward and start circling her clit. Slow at first, she learns what makes the brunette grunt, whether it's an up and down motion, side to side, or continuing with circles. She alternates her patterns as she continues to feel the brunette rocking against her mouth. The sounds she's making can only mean she likes what she feels. The rocking becomes faster, so she moves her tongue faster, pausing every few moments to swallow and savor. The brunette's hips start to lose control, Piper wraps her hands around her ass and holds her steady against her mouth sucking slightly at her clit, as the brunette lets go of the sink to cover her mouth, stifling her release. Piper teasingly licks her a few more times, as the brunette's thigh shakes, and hangs lithely still, over her shoulder.

She picks up the brunette's clothing, stands up and hands it to her. She leans in and whispers, "you taste great." She puts her hands in her back pockets, pleased with herself that she made Alex cum. As Alex pulls her clothes on, Piper cracks the bathroom door to see if anyone's waiting. "Am I gonna see you again?"

The brunette smirks and slowly nods, of course.

Piper smirks back, as Alex quickly pecks her on the corner of her mouth and exits the bathroom.

A minute later Piper leaves and takes a seat on the opposite site of the bar from where she saw Alex, but she doesn't see the brunette next to Sylvia and her friends.

A shot of tequila is slowly slid across the table, with scribbled on napkin that says, "CALL ME TOMORROW - AV"

The piano starts to play the notes to a song as she hears Alex "whoooo" as her friend Rachel take's the stage. She sees the brunette scramble to lift about four more shot glasses from the bar and saunters back over to her original table. Piper folds the napkin and shoves it down the front of her top.

The music plays, "have you ever had the feeling, somebody's watching you?" Rachel starts her dance, practically molesting that puppet and leaves little to the imagination. Piper rests her chin on the back of her hand that's pressed against the table, she looks through the flickering candle across the room, as the brunette locks eyes with her, winks, and subtly lifts her shot glass. Piper copies the motion and once Alex sees her, they take their shots, _to us._


	22. Chapter 22

22

They sit along the concrete wall, legs dangling as the water, from the Font Magica in Monjuic, dances, spitting colored lights into the air. The mist from barely chlorinated water surrounds the air, it possesses that smell, the smell of magic, the smell of pleasant childhood memories: summertime by the pool, the river that surrounds the Pirates of the Carribean ship at Disney World.

Her full lips are covered in the sugar from her churro, she purses them in Piper's direction. The blonde playfully licks the brunette's bottom lips before pecking them. She pulls back with a grin, and licks the sugar that's now stuck to her own lips.

"I fully condone this, dessert before actual food thing," she says to Piper. "What did you bring?," she asks the blonde while pointing to the bag that lazily hangs between her legs.

Piper angles her body away from the brunette and one by one, she piles an assortment of food: cheeses, loquats, meditteranean figs, into the brunette's lap.

"Nosh," she says with a twinge of disappointment.

"Hey," she raises her legs slightly so the food doesn't fall off, she takes Piper's hand in her own, "whats the matter?"

"I'd have liked to make something for us, but...," she shakes her head.

"But what?"

"I don't have a stove Alex."

The brunette dramatically hangs her head and grumbles.

"Well I don't!," she says pushing Alex's head back up. "I love dining out at restaurants every other night or ordering in, but sometimes you're just in the mood for comfort food. It would be nice to open a can of Campbell's tomato soup and dip a hot grilled cheese into it."

Alex frowns slightly, she brings a fig to her nose and breathes in the sweet scent.

Piper looks at her, she takes another fig off the brunette's lap and copies the motion, she breathes in the fig and exhales. "I'm sorry. I just miss some normal things."

Alex tugs at Piper's jean jacket, pulling her closer, her arm wraps around the blondes shoulders, her fingers slip under her jacket and brush up and down the blonde's waist. Piper rests her head on her shoulder.

"We can go home soon Pipes."

She feels the blonde nod her head against her shoulder.

"And you've been excited for Turkey, you haven't shut up about that Medusa head."

She hears Piper chuckle.

"Soon kid."

She knew it would be soon. But then what? Would they ever be able to settle in one place? "Al?"

"Hmmm?," the brunette responds, continuing to brush her fingers down Piper's skin.

She breathes in deep and exhales, her head stays on the brunette's shoulder, she stares at Alex's pale exposed knee. "Remember when I asked you...if you thought you'd do this forever?"

Alex's hand stops momentarily. Of course she remembered. It had been the only time anyone had ever asked her that question.

"Al?"

"Yeah."

She waits a moment for the brunette to continue, but when she doesn't, she presses, "and now?"

"And now what? Are you asking me if my answer's changed?"

Piper remains silent. Her tone was enough of an answer.

Alex unwraps her arm around the blonde. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about leaving, or what risks she'd be taking for even bringing it up. But it wasn't an option, she was too involved, she knew too much, and to be honest while parts of the job truly terrified her, she still loved it.

"This is what I do. Does it suck sometimes? Yes," she starts to re-pack the bag with the cheeses and fruit. "Does it scare the shit out of me sometimes? Yes. Do I seldomly wish I could have a normal schedule, where we could wake up and fall asleep together? Yeah."

She scoots to the edge of the wall and jumps down, she wipes her hands on her hips. She faces Piper, the blonde's face looks hollow, having heard an answer that she didn't want to hear. Piper stares at her own lap.

"But this is what I'm good at. I've spent too long getting to this exact spot, and I'm not gonna throw it away... I can't do anything else. I'm not willing to."

It was easier to take ownership of the situation, versus wallowing over not having a choice.

The blonde peers up at her, the brunette's eyebrows are raised high over her glasses, the fountain continues its colored dance. The brunette looks into Piper's eyes, and points behind her. "C'mon, lets whip out that camera of yours. Quite," she raises both hands over her head, "the," they lower to behind her head, "backdrop," her hands pose on her hips. The blonde fights a laugh.

The brunette reaches her hand out to help Piper down, "let's go back to the room, I'll find you some Campbell's soup and figure it out with the coffee maker or something." She takes hold of the brunette's outstretched hand and jumps down.

* * *

Alex holds the door of the Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamam, open for Piper, as the blonde sifts through countless photos of the Basilica Cistern and the upside down Medusa head on the camera.

The brunette catches her as she almost slips from the steam that coats the marble tiling. They're brought to a room, where several other women are lying, naked on their backs, along marble octagons. Piper's eyes widen, she pulls Alex back slightly by her elbow, "I didn't know we'd be in the same room as other people."

"Surprise," the brunette says, dropping the silky towel that's wrapped around her body, she lays on the octagon, the bather helped her settle in. She watches Alex shut her eyes, confident as always, as another woman coats her skin in a thick foam.

Piper scoffs, as a woman shows her to an adjacent octagon, she self-consciously sits down, and lowers her towel as modestly as possible, cursing under her breath as Alex peeks over and chuckles.

As her body is rinsed, she's semi-awakened from her nap-like trance, but when the woman's fingers start to cleanse her hair, massaging her fingers over her scalp, she easily falls back into oblivion, the brunette swears she can hear her purr. Alex dons her teal covering, and takes the few steps over to Piper as she's being finished up.

"Horrible, wasn't it?," she drawls.

"Fuck...you, " she says lazily, as the bather covers her body with her silk towel and escorts them to a private room. They're told to lay down, the room is dim, soft music plays, as they're massaged from head to toe.

"Am I forgiven for abandoning you all week?," the brunette asks with her cheek pressed against the lounge chair.

"For tonight... yes."

* * *

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into going on another hike," she says from the floor of their hotel room in Fira, while she ties her sneaker, "I almost died in Java."

"You didn't almost die," the blonde says, letting the spandex of her athletic tank top snap to her body. "It's only six miles."

"Only," the brunette mutters unbelievably.

"You walk close to four unknowingly all the time."

"Walking on a flat sidewalk doesn't compare to uphill terrain Piper, not to mention it's a zillion degrees out, my skin is gonna to fuckin fry," she retorts grumpily. She'd willingly agreed days ago to Piper's latest adventure, but now that the day had come, she was regretting not putting up a bigger fight.

"I wont let you burn," she crouches down and rummages through her suitcase. She withdraws a white long sleeved linen shirt. "Try this," she says handing the shirt to Alex.

The brunette pulls it on over her black tank top, and smoothes it over her olive green culottes. Piper squees when it fits, "you look so cute."

"I am not cute."

"The cutest," she says twirling the hair wrap, she convinced Alex to get earlier in the day on the beach. Piper soaked up the days, Alex submitted and allowed her to have her wrapped around her finger.

Alex pinches the hair wrap between her fingers and looks at Piper, "only you."

Piper rises slightly on her toes, and traces the brunette's lips with her tongue seeking entrance. The brunette's lips part, yielding to the eager mouth of her girlfriend, her phone rings. She pulls away from Piper, and steps onto their balcony closing the door behind her. She turns every now and again through the glass doors to see her girlfriend pouting. She ends the call and subtly makes another.

She pushes the glass door of their balcony back open and steps back in, "Were not going are we?"

Alex kisses her nose, then her lips, "I postponed my meeting til tomorrow, you might see less of me for the rest of the time we're here... but we still have today for us."

Pleased that their personal plans hadn't been derailed, the blonde thanks her by changing into different shorts, while taking the time to boastfully flash her.

The brunette times their hike around 3, when the sun has left its highest point in the sky. She'd have liked to leave earlier to allot for more time to climb, determined to reach the top before the sun was supposed to set, but she convinced herself she could push through and make up for lost time. It takes them just under four hours to reach the top. Their skin is coated with a layer of sweat, when she notices the blonde's eyes excitedly dance at the views. Iconic white washed buildings, topped with blue domed ceilings along the coast of Santorini. Much like the last time they'd hiked in Java, they lay on their backs side by side, eyes darting around looking out over the cliffs and the adjacent sapphire colored sea.

As dusk takes over Piper realizes, "we're going to have to get back down. In the dark. Did you bring a flashlight or anything?"

"This is just occurring to you now?," Alex questions her irritated. "No, I didn't bring a flashlight," she starts walking down the grey stairs of the trail.

"I... I didn't think it would get dark so fast, but we should be okay," Piper responds worriedly, now feeling guilty for suggesting they reach these views on foot.

The brunette continues to walk ahead of her, quickening her pace, much to the blonde's dismay.

"Alex can you slow down please?," she says side stepping down the steps trying to catch up.

"If we slow down then we'll never get back to our hotel before it's pitch black."

"Okay, but I wont even be able to see you when it's that dark, so if you could please..."

The brunette abruptly stops, "were here," she says amusedly pointing to the "Ikies" sign, and pushes the door open to the traditional house.

Piper pushes her with both of her hands, "we're staying here?"

"Yeah, you may have convinced me to climb up today, but there was no way in hell I was climbing back down in the same evening. Have you met me?"

"We didn't bring anything with us though."

"There's a fresh pair of undies in the bag for you, chill."

"But not you?"

"Not needed," she says cheekily.

They get up to their room, Alex orders two souvlaki platters before flopping down on the outdoor lounger. Piper comes out of the shower, and steps outside in her towel.

"Guess I'll just have to wear a towel dress," she says sitting on the chair and pulling one of the brunette's feet into her lap.

"That's a shame," she says pushing a toe where the towel is being held closed, hoping to be flashed by Piper's top half this time. The blonde swats her foot away and pulls her by the ankle hard, forcing the brunette to slouch down onto her back. She massages her feet for a bit,

"that feels amazing babe," Alex tells her as her aching feet are soothed.

Piper massages each of her toes slowly when her eyebrows narrow, "why are these bent up more than the rest?," she asks pulling the third, fourth and pinky toe of Alex's left foot.

"I broke those a few years back, they never healed right."

Piper continues to fondle the toes, she looks at them curiously, "isn't there anything you can do?"

"Yeah re-break them and hope they heal correctly the second time. No thanks."

Piper flicks the bottom of her foot, "does it hurt?"

"No Pipes, I hardly notice it anymore. You never did," she says flaring out her toes.

"No, I guess I didn't," she says slightly ashamed at missing that detail. "How'd you break three toes?"

"You don't want to know."

"I asked."

"On a dare."

"Uh huh...?"

"You know those rope swings, over lakes?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, on one of my first trips to Asia, Fahri and Asad dared a bunch of people to swing and jump into the water."

"Okay?"

"Do you really not see where I'm going with this?"

Piper looks unimpressed.

"Of course I was the only one willing to do it, I wanted to be on their good side, see that I would take chances."

"Well that was stupid."

"Yeah I was only slightly, no a lotta bit high," she laughs, "woops. I never bent my legs, so my foot got the full impact of the rocks at the bottom."

Piper grimaces, "you're lucky you didn't kill yourself."

"Yeah I was kind of hoping I did, when I realized I could barely move without blinding pain shooting through my whole body. They had come come down the side of the cliff and get me out."

"Oh you must've loved that."

"And I lost my bathing suit bottoms."

Piper erupts in laughter, while Alex shoves her with her foot. She leans forward and slips her hand under the cuff of the towel, exposing the blonde. Piper scrambles up, nervous that other guests might be able to see her, when the brunette takes her towel and flings it off the side of the balcony.

"Alex!," the blonde shouts and runs inside their room.

The brunette cackles, and wrestles the clothes that her girlfriend tries to put on, away from her. With Piper on her back, trying to steal her clothes back, Alex crawls over toward their safe, and locks Piper's clothes inside. Piper pins the brunette to floor and demands to know what the code is, when there's a knock at the door.

"Alex, it's not funny, give me back my fucking clothes!"

Alex fights her off of her to answer the door, Piper runs into the bathroom and shuts the door.

The man standing outside their door, walks in and places their souvlaki platters on the table. He unfolds the towel draped over his arm and holds it up with both of his hands, "this came tumbling down from your balcony."

"You say that, as if it couldn't have come from anyone else," she says confidently. "Your room is the only one on this side of the building."

Alex reluctantly hands him his tip.

"Enjoy," he says and shuts their door behind him.

They're seated for dinner on the crooked shore of Little Venice, Mykonos. Piper grabs her glass of white wine, and scoots over the tiny white wall separating their table from the pebble stoned beach. Alex takes her in, her sunkissed skin, her beachy curls, her light blue dress, abandoned sandals left under the table. Her toes cool off in the sea, she continuously looks over her shoulder.

Piper beckons the brunette over, Alex shakes her head, placing her cloth napkin onto the table and joins the blonde on the shore. Her hand gently caresses the blonde's lower back, they stand in the water, the noise around them starts to heighten as more people gather for the notorious nightlife.

"Kyríes?," the waiter calls, getting their attention, as he sets their salad on the table. Piper takes off at a skip, stepping up onto the little white wall, she plucks a piece of feta from her salad, and pops it into her mouth.

"Thanks for waiting for me," Alex says sitting down and takes a sip of her wine.

"Sorry, they should put feta on everything. Food of the Gods."

Despite the crowd around them, they felt like they were alone, lost in each other's eyes, the noise was just background.

They stop into a longue, loud music, mostly American, pumps into the street. Piper dances along Alex's body, careful not to spill her drink, when Alex abruptly stops swaying.

"I want you to stay here," she says to her and walks toward the back of the club.

Piper doesn't even have a chance to argue, as the brunette disappears from sight. She's gone for too long, Piper feels the all too familiar panic set in, not knowing what's going on, if her girlfriend's pissed someone off, if someone's harming her. After what she assumes is about a half hour later, she tries calling Alex, but between the pounding music, and her sudden exit, she doubted answering her call was at the top of Alex's priority list.

Her drink glass is half full, having not taken another sip since she was left behind. She stands up, holding her drink and takes a few steps in the direction she saw Alex go in before. She raises up the best she can on her toes, trying to see over the heads that dance around her, searching for anyone she's seen in the cartel. She takes a long sip of her drink, and walks a little bit closer.

When Alex comes back to the spot where she left Piper and doesn't see her, she panics. She wants to find Piper, and get her out of there as fast as she can. She leans over the bar and curses at the bartender, when he says he saw her walk off in "that direction," he points to where she'd gone.

"All alone?," someone says close to her ear in an Iranian accent. Piper motions to turn but her head is held forward, "she left you, all alone, for them."

"Please don't," she begs as the grip tightens from behind her neck, her head is pushed forward roughly, she turns around, but sees no one there. Her breaths tremble, tears well up in her eyes. She feels a hand grab the back of her arm, she swings around to see Alex,

"where the hell did you go?!," Alex angrily yells at her, her nerves taking over her tone. Full of fear, layered with Alex's anger, Piper hurls her glass onto the ground at their feet. People nearby, step around the shattered glass and yell, "Opa!"

It took weeks of ignoring, yelling and apologies for things to feel somewhat reconciled.

Regardless, aside from the constant proclamation of hatred for her job, Piper's side of the arguments were laced with her exhaustion with living out of bags, aching more than ever for some stability.

On a cool summer evening, Piper holds their sandwiches in each of her hands, as Alex buttons up the blonde's oversized loose knit cardigan. They slowly stroll down the Champs Elysees, hand in hand, fresh artisanal sandwiches wrapped in paper, in tow.

Alex reaches an upturned hand out, to received Piper's crumbled up wrapper and discards it in a trash receptacle.

"I could live here," Piper says, eyes blinded by romance that inherently floats through the Parisian air.

The brunette smirks, "yeah?"

"Yeah," the blonde breathes out, "it's so romantic, the food is delicious, people stop whatever theyre doing mid-day, to have lunch...together... with their loved ones... at home. Wine is a staple of daily dining, ugh the fresh baguette's, the sound of French just spilling from peoples mouths."

The brunette stops in her tracks and pulls the blonde back toward her, she leans into her and slowly brushes her hair back from her ears, she whispers at a rasp, "vous aimez le son de francaise?"

"I like the sound of French?"

The brunette's eyebrow raises sharply, a smirk emerges, as she notices the blonde barely needs interpretation.

"Oui," she responds with a sweet smile, proud to have understood.

A single chuckle escapes Alex's lips, she pecks Piper on the side of her mouth and starts walking, initially dragging the blonde behind her. "I could get us a place...buy an apartment here...a home away from home."

Piper stops walking. Is she serious?

She turns to look at the blonde, who's looking at her with a questioning gaze. "You know, cause there's a lot of work to be done around Europe."

Days later, the brunette says that she signed the lease to "that rent to own apartment, the one you liked," and dangles a small gold key in front of the blonde's eyes.

"The one with the big windows and the fireplace in the bedroom?," the blonde asks, kneeling up on their hotel room bed.

"Mmmhmm," the brunette nods with raised eyebrows.

Squeals and a tight hug, emerge from the blonde, she engulfs the brunette and hangs on for a long while.

Within a few days they start to settle in, while Alex works, Piper takes off and walks to the closest market, to buy ingredients to cook them their first home cooked meal, in as long as she can remember.

Once they're done, Piper finishes loading the dishwasher, turns the knob to it's setting and hits "start." The brunette hops on top, her dress falls over her knees, she rests her hands on the ledge between her legs. She stares down the blonde lustfully, "dinner was great."

She places her hands on the outside of the brunettes thigh's, "oh yeah? did it meet your expectations?"

"Surpassed."

Piper smiles, pleased with herself, and presses her lips along those of brunette.

"Mmmm," Alex moans, "dessert?"

"I... I didn't make anything else."

The brunette entraps the blonde around her waist with her long legs and pulls her close, "oh. Of course," Piper says feeling foolish, and presses her lips against the brunette's once more.

The dishwasher starts to shake, the brunette interrupts them with a chuckle, "or I could just sit here," she says pointing down to the vibrating dishwasher, "mmmake my own dessert."

* * *

"There it is!," Piper exclaims, looking up and down at her tourist map and the unmistakable Louvre museum. "See, the universe," she makes a circular motion with her hand, "wants us to see it."

She walks toward the glass pyramid, and realizes she's talking to herself. She goes back and grabs Alex's hand, she drags her toward the line of people that snakes around the perimeter of the museum.

"This looks like the," she takes Piper's hand and repeats the circular motion with the blonde's hand, "universe is saying to come back another day."

"I just want to see the Mona Lisa. I can come another time to thoroughly explore, but I want to see the Mona Lisa with you."

"Why?"

"Because."

Alex waits for a further explanation but receives none. She sighs with a small smirk. Piper: 1. Me:0, she thinks as the girl plants a small kiss on her cheek and holds her hand. She scampers off half an hour later to grab café au laits from a truck, that set itself up in a corner of the plaza. "Thank you," she says handing the brunette a cup of coffee, always grateful for when Alex is willing to play tourist with her.

Once finally inside, they casually look at other pieces of art, as they follow the crowd to the infamous painting.

"Just stand there, hurry up," she shoves Alex next to the painting, after finally getting to the front, and snaps her photo quickly before walking away from the crowd. She crouches down in a corner, and cups her hand over the light of her camera, angling it to see if she's satisfied with the photo.

"Enigmatic," she says shaking her head and looks up toward the brunette who stands over her. "Look," she says stretching her arm upward so Alex can see the photograph. The brunette holds the camera in one hand and pulls the blonde out of her squatted position. She studies the photo. Piper begins to laugh, as her girlfriend's green-grey eyes change expression every few moments.

She looks at the camera upside down, and points to the picture, "could you be more thrilled?"

Alex glares at her, causing Piper to keel over with laughter, "your expressions are practically the same."

"We're smiling on the inside," she deadpans, and looks back at the photo. She looks back at the painting for a moment while Piper takes her camera back,

"I need to find a frame for this."

They return from running some errands and touring Victor Hugo's house. Piper sticks her "smiling" photo of Alex and Mona Lisa in a new frame that she found, and sets it by her side of the bed with a giggle. She sits down on their bed and clicks through countless photos of the home of the author of one of Alex's favorite books.

"Would you like something that looks like this?," she asks as she comes over to the desk where Alex is waiting for her computer to load; she shows her a piece of ornate décor from the salon of the author's house.

"Ah, its a little..., " she grimaces, "gaudy?"

"It's not gaudy! I don't like gaudy things! It's... eccentric."

"It's hideous," she says more bluntly.

"Well then come with me so I don't bring back anything that doesn't meet your approval."

"Pipes, you know how much I'm just dying to go rummage through people's old junk with you."

Piper knows how much she hates shopping, but would still do it if she was available.

"I really have a lot to do," the brunette continues, "I should've started an hour ago."

"I know," she says with a sad smile.

"Yeah? No tantrum?," she asks while she plays with the edge of the blonde's hair; she curls it over her top lip, like a moustache. "Go like this," she says and puckers her lips hard.

Piper shadows, so that her makeshift stache holds in place causing Alex to giggle. She reaches for her metal case that holds her bank cards. She takes out her ATM card, and looks at another underneath the clip. She replaces her ATM card, and passes Piper the whole case. "I moustache you a question..."

Piper smiles at the cheesy joke, her hair falls back into place. Alex steps closer, she unfastens the clasp of her case that Piper holds in the palm of her hand. She pulls out the second card and asks, "can you stop at the bank and use this to make a transaction?"

Piper nods, as she figured she was handing her her cards so she could withdraw money anyways, but when she takes a closer look at the card, it's got a different name on it.

"Al..."

"The bank is right next to the one by the flea market. Use my card to take out whatever you want. Look around, if you see anything you like, just get it, we'll find a place for it," she says and walks away from Piper unable to look at her face. "And if you could just stop there on the way back afterwards... it'd really help me out."

"And do what with it," Piper asks walking to where her girlfriend just casually flopped back into their computer chair.

"Just bring it back here," she says nonchalantly. Piper looks up at her, not wanting to do it.

"You're just picking up money," says as she sees Piper mull it over, flipping the card over in her hand. Her expression breaks her heart, "I can just do it later it's fine," she says changing her mind and takes the card, but Piper hold onto it firmly.

"No it's... it's okay."

"I shouldn't have asked."

"I can do it," she says with a frown and replaces the card back in the case. She pulls the strap of her purse over her shoulder and heads out of their apartment.

When the door closes, Alex sends a text, "She said yes.

Leave us the fuck alone."


	23. Chapter 23

23

After a week of barely seeing each other, Alex and Piper board a rail from London to Oxford. She promises to show the blonde the most beautiful library she'd ever see, as they sit opposite each other, playing Poker like old times.

As Piper wins the hand, she stares at her awed. She cant believe it, but then realizes Piper's catching the reflection of her cards in the glass pane of the train window.

"You cheater!," she says laughing, grabbing the blonde's hand, "I knew it!"

"Did you really think I beat you?," Piper asks amused.

She pulls the blonde across the space between them, and under her arm as they finish the journey.

She accompanies Piper into the Bodleian library, and watches her browse through the aisles, gently turning the pages of old manuscripts. The blonde is enraptured in some of the oldest texts she's ever laid her hands on, when Alex tells her she wants to take her to a pub she'll like, but needs to take care of something.

"Do you want to stay here?," she asks her. Piper nods, barely paying attention. "You're gonna be okay?"

She nods again, turning a page.

"Okay," she says and caresses the blonde's shoulder. They agree to meet outside the Eagle and Child in a few hours.

She pulls her into the "Rabbit Room," in the back of the pub and explains that "authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to meet in this space on Monday's and Tuesday's to write, and look," she points to a display case mounted on the wall. Piper's hands plant on either side of the case, mouth agape, she takes in the handwritten pages of text.

Throughout the next week, Alex makes it a point to scope out various spots in London that will have a similar effect. They share a pint at the homely George Inn, taking in the the same space where Shakespeare and Charles Dickens had been known to frequent. She takes her to the Garden Squares of Bloomsbury, pointing out the homes of Mary Shelley, and Virginia Woolf, along with the workplace of T.S. Elliot. She's beside herself, basking in the essence of some of her favorite literary figures.

At the end of the day, Alex is about to part ways with the blonde, but saddens at the prospect of their separation, after such a nice day. She asks Piper to come with her to a large busy bar to meet some mules, ensuring they won't stay long and that they're completely harmless, "I'd miss your company." While Alex works her magic, discussing plans for the upcoming week, Piper carries on friendly conversations with some of the girls.

They stumble and sloppily flop onto the cushioned seats of the tube. She leans on Alex's shoulder, drunk but happy thinking of the people she'd met that night, some of which she learned had interesting pasts. Her mind is hazy as she questions why people who had promising futures, would choose to live their lives this way, but then she wonders who would knowingly get involved with a known drug dealer. She lets the thought fade.

"This is a Picadilly line service to Cockfosters," Alex's hysterics ensue, breaking her out of her half sleep against the brunette's shoulder. They'd gone out of their way, as they often did to grab the Picadilly line as much as possible so they could hear the announcement every few minutes. It was amusing when they were perfectly sober, but when plastered on snakebite blacks, they were now mute idiots, laughing with wide open mouths that brought out no sound.

Piper welcomes the tranquil atmosphere of the hotel bar after spending the day walking around the cobblestoned streets of Covent Garden. It had been easy to entertain herself, watching street performers, sampling foods from different stands, and picking out handmade trinkets from skilled artists. She polishes off her drink while taking in the sounds of smooth jazz, when Alex slips onto a barstool beside her. She hasn't seen her all day, as she had a "business meeting." She can smell her before she sees her, as the air moves around them while she takes her seat.

She loves when Alex is dressed up, the thinks, while she takes her in. She looks like a working professional with her white silky shirt neatly pressed into her black pencil skirt.

"You're almost unrecognizable. You look so..."

"Yuppie?," the brunette scoffs.

"Adult," she says salaciously.

"Really? You like this?"

"On occasion it's... nice. I could get used to it."

"Well don't. I cant stand this," she says tugging at her collar.

Piper unbuttons the topmost button for her, "better?"

"Yes," she says gratefully.

The blonde's hand caresses her back, she toys with the waist of the fitted skirt.

"Can I have a martini?," she asks the bartender.

"How'd you like it?," he asks while setting a little square napkin in front of her.

"Wet and dirty," she says as her lips pull all the way to the side.

The bartender laughs with a nod.

"Did you just order something 'wet and dirty,' with me sitting right here? I've been waiting for you all day. Some people would consider this abuse."

"I just want one," she laughs at Piper's obvious need and subtly caresses her thigh, "it'll help me sleep better tonight."

The blonde elicits a wicked cackle, she lowers her voice, "you're not sleeping tonight."

"Oh no?"

The bartender places the glass on the bar, and checks with Piper again if she wants anything else. She shakes her head no, wanting to toss the martini over her shoulder and take the brunette upstairs.

She watches Alex take a sip of her drink, the brunette looks at her over the glass, and widens her eyes.

"You don't normally order martinis."

"I had them all evening," she takes another sip, "don't wanna mix, I need to be up early."

"How responsible of you."

Alex tugs at her collar with both hands, straightening it illustrating how proper she is.

"Can I try it?," Piper asks with her wrist resting against the bar, she points her index finger toward the brunette's glass.

She slides the drink over to Piper, who takes a sip, and makes a pleasant face, "not bad."

Alex chuckles," have you never had one?"

She shakes her head no, "do you know where the martini originated?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure I'm about to find out," she says unenthusiastically, while removing the spiked olive that lay against her glass. "Go ahead," she says and eyes the olive.

"You don't really want to know, forget it."

"No I do," she says dully, "tell me. Please."

"Well the guns that were used in the British army...," she stops, she looks at Alex resting the olive on the flat of her tongue. She curls the muscle around the olive and rolls it between her teeth.

"What do you think youre doing?," she asks, eyes fixed on her girlfriend's mouth.

"Listening to this extremely fascinating piece of history," she says around the garnish, her smirk deepens.

Piper slams down the remaining half of Alex's martini, like a shot, her eyes widen, her head tilts toward the elevator.

Upstairs, Alex unbuttons her blouse, one button shy of completely revealing her cleavage. Piper can just barely see the edge of her bra, revealing the swell of her full breasts. Like a moth to a flame she's drawn to the raven haired woman, Alex's eyes lock with hers, her smirk is still clear as day while she slowly bows her head to look at her own breasts. She peers up at Piper and shrugs her shoulders, "woops."

Piper grabs her, a little roughly, after her casual solo booze tour through London, her drink at the bar and then pounding whatever remained of Alex's drink. She practically rips the hem of the brunette's blouse out of her skirt, it hangs loosely over the front.

"Piper watch my shirt!," she warns her at a hiss, as it's one of the only ones she's got like this.

The blonde is particularly gropey, so she extends a hand, making her sit on the bed. Alex moves her hands away each time she reaches to undo her blouse. She tells her to keep her hands down and continues to replace them, as Piper tipsily plays her game.

The blonde hastily undresses herself to the brunette's amusement, she lays on the bed, with her legs hanging off the edge at a right angle. She reaches to pull Alex on top of her, to which the brunette tells her "no." She looks hurt at first, until Alex tells her to imagine her hands on her body, "show me what you want me to do to you."

She reaches a tentative hand to her left breast and rubs her finger tips side to side over her nipple until its hard. Alex reaches her hand over Piper's, she can feel her warm subtle breaths against her forearm. Both of Piper's hands are covered by the brunette's, they drag down and stop at her hips, she squeezes them slightly, and tries to go a little lower, when Alex's hands are firm over her own, she keeps her hands planted along the blonde's hips.

"I need to remain professional," the brunette teases.

Piper pulls her hands from the beneath the brunette's, and slips two of her fingers into Alex's mouth. She gently sucks and soaks them, before they slip free and find their way to her girlfriend's soft clit. Slow at first, her hand moves in a counter clockwise circle, until her cunt is dripping wet. She slips her middle finger into herself, while keeping her thumb pressed against her clit. The brunette moves her hands below the blonde's thighs and drags her an inch further so she's falling off the edge of the bed, the new curve causes the blonde to open her mouth. She pants and moans a sound that Alex has become quite familiar with, the pressure inside is so fucking good; her legs wrap around the brunette who's leaning over her.

"No wait, not yet," she musters but Piper is lost in herself. She smacks her thigh, "behave yourself," she says as quickly strips off her black skirt. She pulls the blonde's hand away, causing Piper to open her eyes, she sees the brunette's black booty shorts and garter,

"ugh I cant," she grunts, at the sight, and tries to replace her hand.

Alex holds her hands down on the bed, and kisses her firmly, giving her a chance to come down. Once she lets Piper's hands go, they immediately grab her behind, while she slips two of her fingers into her slightly more composed girlfriend. She slides them back as far as she can, she feels Piper's pussy squeeze against her fingers. She slowly moves them back and forth, until Piper's hips take over. She barely needs to move her wrist, as she feels the heels of Piper's feet dig into the small of her back. The blonde's hands reach overhead, she grips the sheets tightly, her bottom leaves the mattress.

She slips a third finger in, and Piper moans so loudly, the brunette instinctually places a hand over her mouth. "Shhh!," she laughs, and then reaches down and spanks her, "youre too loud!"

Piper pulls the edge of the sheet into her mouth and bites down on it. She tries to be quiet, but she's distracted by the sound of her own wetness with each thrust of Alex's fingers. Piper's hands move to Alex's hips, her nails dig into her flesh as the brunette moves her fingers faster and harder, she's so close.

She hears the blonde's breathing quicken, she knows the warm rush that's running through her girlfriend, as she feels her contract around her fingers. An arm bends over the blonde's eyes, blocking out her vision as she cums around the brunettes fingers, but as Alex starts to remove

them, Piper's hips start to move again.

"Pipes," she pants herself, as her fingers are coated and the blonde's movement is so wild, her hand is being pushed out.

"Piper," she says again as the blonde continues despite her already continued orgasms. She can't stop riding the brunette's fingers. She feels Alex's hand brush against her breast. Her eyes open, taking in the brunette above her, when the strongest orgasm she's ever had rips through her and she feels soaked.

Alex pulls her hand away and looks down where them hem of her shirt meets her thigh, her mouth hangs open in amusement.

"Pipes my shirt!,' she laughs as Piper's eyes are wide, not understanding what happened. "Fuck," she says looking again at her shirt, she wipes her hand on her leg and finally removes her shirt and throws it at Piper's face.

"You can get that dry cleaned tomorrow, squirter."

Alex is gone early the next morning, while Piper manages to find a dry cleaner to drop of her girlfriend's shirt. She grabs the receipt and bolts out of the shop before any questions can be asked. She flops down onto the bed of their hotel room when there's a knock at the door. She opens it, and is handed a package that's meant for Alex.

She texts Alex,

"Can you talk?"

"Can you? ;) Did you drop off my shirt?"

"Someone just came by OUR ROOM with a package."

Alex calls her, upset, as she tells her "they weren't supposed to bring it by until later." She huffs, stressed and tells her it needs to be dropped off right away, but that she wont be able to get there for a bit. Before she asks, Piper already knows it's coming. Her tone is apologetic when she asks if she'd be willing to drop it off. She's reluctant at first, but says yes.

She arrives at the specific location, holding the important package in broad daylight, not having the wits about her to conceal it. A man opens the door, and is immediately irritated as he's expecting Alex. He motions her inside and closes the door. He leans in close, her back is pressed against the wall when he begins with the third degree. She hands him the package, wanting it out of her possession. He tilt's it around, assessing if it was tampered with.

"Alex asked me to drop it off."

"She didn't say anyone else was coming," he barks, while simultaneously making a phone call.

He doesn't lay a hand on her, but she feels physically threatened at his close proximity.

"How do you know her?," his voice is suspicious, she can hear the phone ringing by his ear.

"She's... she asked me to bring it over thats it," her fear is clear, "I don't know anything..."

She's cut off while he speaks sternly in a language she doesn't understand. It sounds like Fahri and Kubra's dialect but she can't be sure, the only word she recognizes is "Alex."

She's free to go, once he ends the call.

Shaken, she feels cut off from everything familiar and doesn't know what direction to start walking. The only person from home who knows of her whereabouts is Polly, and she is so preoccupied with wedding plans right now, that when she spontaneously calls her, she isn't guaranteed an answer.

"Pick up, pick up...," she begs into her phone when she hears Polly's voice.

"Piper!?," she questions, only able to hear little noises from who she thinks is her best friend.

She talks to Polly, her voice is tearful throughout. She small brunette is beyond the point of reason, though she knows how deep her feelings are for Alex. She tries her best to sound unbiased, as she's heard the good and the bad. She empathizes with her, knowing "the rarity of passionate love that keeps you on your toes, but you need to get out."

She hears the staggered breathing of her best friend's voice, she knows Piper she agrees with her, but she's unable to speak.

"Piper, can you hear me?"

"Yes," she cries into the phone, she holds it hard against her face.

"You need to come home. You have to leave, okay?"

"I know."

"No matter what."

When she gets back to their room, she can hear Alex yelling from outside the door. She's heard her mad, but she's never heard her yell like this before, she hesitantly opens the door. Alex hangs up the phone mid-rant, when she hears the door open, she tosses her phone on the bed. She pulls Piper's lifeless body into her arms, she runs a hand over the back of her head, "I'm so sorry."

"Me too."


	24. Chapter 24

24

The brunette's hand, runs over her hair, in a hypnotic manner, as if each stroke wills her to calm and stay, as if she knows this is Piper's breaking point. She knows Piper's different looks, the ones of normal relationship annoyance, the ones of fear, the ones where she looks just like this, where if she had an ounce more courage, she'd pack her bags and leave right now.

She cant help but see the worry on Alex's face, when the brunette's fingers have finally detangled the last strand of hair, causing her to look up. Polly's words continue in a fog-like, repetitive mantra, "you need to come home...you have to leave...no matter what." She knows it's true, for the sake of her own physical safety and heartache, she knows not what she'll do if she stays here with Alex. The lack of her own limitations, is what scares her the most. But now that she lay, guardedly, wrapped in Alex's arms, like every other time the moment was over, she felt safe.

For the next few weeks, Alex doesn't as much as ask her to run a grocery errand nevermind anything related to the cartel. She spends her time avoiding responding to Fahri's phone calls and threatening emails. She's up to her ears in various demands, the supply isn't meeting the demand and she can't keep up with finding enough available mules to complete her runs. She snaps when she receives yet another demand to send someone to Istanbul in the next few days.

She types, "Get it through your thick fucking skull, I don't have ANYONE. Not for Beirut, not for Genoa, not for Ruhr, and now you want Istanbul?! And in 3 days no less."

A few minutes later, she gets a response, "Have her do the run to Istanbul."

Who? She thinks for a moment and then she seethes. "I JUST had her run a package for me two weeks ago."

"No she did that because we dropped it when you weren't there. She was obligated. There's a difference"

She shakes her head for a long while as she stares at the screen, "It's too soon."

"She's been with you for a year and what has she done? Have her in Istanbul by Friday. This is not a request."

She sends a hate filled email to Fahri, stating she's managed to have Piper with her the whole time with minimal issue, fighting the haste that this has to be done with. But Piper's liability is too great, to not have sizable collateral against her, if the shit hits the fan. Alex tries to assure them that Piper won't talk but they recount, stating if everyone who said they wouldn't talk, didn't, they'd have far less people buried six feet under. She swallows hard and knows she needs to get Piper to leave.

And so the ultimatum was there, the end of the prolongation of the inevitable, and it was too soon. She knew she'd milked Piper's patience for all it was worth but to now have this hanging over her head with such urgency, she wasn't ready and now she didn't have a choice.

She'd take her for a walk, around the promenade by the Eiffel tower, she loved it there. Or out to a nice restaurant, or wherever else she wanted to go, so she could make her happy, one last time before she broke her heart. She wouldn't blame her for leaving, she'd be lying if she said she hadn't judged her for sticking around as long as she had. She simply wouldn't leave if Alex told her the cartel wanted her to do the run. She would comply out of fear. It had to come from Alex, to anger the girl enough to finally break her and have her pack her bags.

And then there was always the off chance that Piper would say "yes" and willingly take the chance of doing a run that would involve her for less than 24 hours. Maybe she'll stay, she thinks, after all there've been no lies, and she's stayed this long. She does love me, I'm sure of it. There's a small chance. Until the next time they want her to do something else. She sighs, as she fights off the tears that blur her eyes.

She hears the water start to clug down the drain, she scoffs, jealous of the relaxing bath Piper's just finishing up, when she's tense with stress. She looks at the screen of her laptop, the harsh light gleaming in mockery of all she has to get done, while Piper's biggest concern as of late, is if their window treatments clash with the rest of their decor. She curses under her breath as she hears the water from the shower head come on, sprinkling the bath water that remains at the base of the tub. She inhales, hitched, taking in the combination of aromas seeping from the bathroom. She wrecks her brain, figuring out how she's going to find the will to do this day after day without Piper to come home to, but she did it before, so she tells herself to "keep it together" and that she'll just have to learn how to do it again without her.

She preps, looking up and down from her laptop, recording hard notes, trying to figure out who to assign to other upcoming runs, that also needed to get done urgently. It is one of the few times she's regarded her work as a nuisance, right now struggling to figure things out, when she was about to risk losing one of the most unintentionally special people she's ever allowed in. The irritation is at it's peak when Piper walks in relaxed and freshly dressed from her bath.

"Alex I miss you," she says in a sweet voice flopping onto their bed.

"I don't have time to wander around flea markets and drink cafe au lait with you," she tries to fight the irritability.

"But I'm so cute. Look how cute I am."

She takes a glance, knowing it'll be the end of her, and there she is, the ray of sunshine that she is, lighting up my black hole of despair.

"Babe, I'm sorry. I'm so fucking stressed."

"But you're always so fucking stressed. I feel like a pathetic housewife." She rolls over, exhausted in the mundanity of her days as of late, "is this our life now?"

"Hey. Hey. Let me take you out tonight, okay? Anywhere you wanna go? Okay?" "Okay."

No it's not okay, stop holding her here. Get her out of this place where she feels "okay." She forgives too easily. And you know she'll stay, risking her freedom, her life? If you see how happy you can make her over a candlelit dinner, will you really have the strength to tell her then? You have to do this. Now or never. Her stomach clenches in reluctant upheaval, "Hey, would you be up for a trip to Istanbul this weekend?"

"Yes! Of course!"

Oh God, thank you. It's not the answer you expect to hear and you are innately gleeful, giddy even at the unexpected response, you'll have a few more days together at least. "Oh, babe, that's great. Thank you. I think you should be able to get there and back in a day, so you won't even have to stay overnight. I'm gonna call and set up your ticket for you."

"Oh, my God. I thought for a second you meant we would go together. Like a vacation. Like normal people."

 _Oh_. Hurt and mad at herself for thinking Piper would ever say yes, she tries to hold it back in her tone. "I need you to do this. I wouldn't ask if I had any another option."

"I specifically told you that I would never do that again. Jesus, I am so stupid. I really am. I'm just another drug mule to you."

 _Sting_. The way she just simplified what she meant to Alex, caused her blood to boil. "You are such a naive asshole sometimes."

"I'm an asshole?," she asks unbelievably, thinking she's been called that because she's just been asked to once again put her life in danger for drugs.

"I'm drowning right now and you won't even consider helping me!"

"I am done. I can't do this anymore. I can't be with you."

"Are you serious? Where are you gonna go?" She's asked her this half a dozen times when Piper's called it quits. But she'd never responded in the past.

"I don't know where I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go back to the States, where I'm not your errand girl."

 _Just do it Alex_."I can't believe I didn't see this coming. How did I not see this... You know what, I did see this coming, years ago...," and the words slip from her subconscious, right off of her tongue. She can't help but take a dig, "rule number one: don't ever fall in love with a straight girl."

Piper looks hurt and confused and the brunette immediately regrets letting her emotions get the best of her, as if a lesbian would love more fiercely, and perhaps stick it out. As if Piper's love wasn't comparable.

"Is that what you think this is about? That I like dick? You know, I guess that is easier than facing the fact that you are a drug dealer. And it is ruining everything good in your life."

She waits a minute, to let that set in. "Don't you dare push this on me."

"You knew exactly what you were getting into." She can't help but state with the smallest amount of nervy sadness, because she did know. "I thought we were a team."

She watches Piper storm off as she's done half a dozen other times, this time lacking the will to talk her into staying.

When Piper returns, she avoids eye contact and walks purposefully around their apartment, gathering items that are solely hers, and starts piling them on top of a chair. Alex tries to subtlety watch her, she's seen her pack a million times, but never to get away from her. She packed, forcefully, taking a moment in between the rough folding of clothes, to glare at the brunette resentfully, making it clear that she felt thoroughly affronted.

The next day carries on the same, barely exchanging words, the few that make it past are brusque in nature. Alex's is insulted with how easily Piper seems to flit about the room, completing yet another box of belongings to be shipped back to New York from the post office.

"Could you at least try to act as if you're somewhat bothered by leaving? I mean was it really all terrible?"

Piper looks at her, _no_ , she thinks, but she doesn't respond. She tapes up the remaining side of her box, without missing a beat, bends down to lift it up and walks out the door.

Alex looks around their apartment, there's still plenty of belongings that Piper isn't claiming, but it's clear that objects that were once interlaced among others, have been spitefully removed. The reality of it all begins to clarify, that rings of condensation from water glasses wont be left by the bedside, the mist of perfume that lingers in the air by the boudoir will fade, Piper's celebrity gossip magazines, that she'd secretly read, won't have every other page dog-eared, the utensils won't be facing the wrong direction in the dishwasher. She feels a heave in her chest, looking around the room again, seeing less and less of Piper, her scent is already fading. She scrambles over to her suitcase and opens the zipper, snatching her passport to hide it. She grabs one of her shirts and inhales the scent, thankful for the essence infused in the fabric. She places her passport in different locations, until she slips it in her top drawer under her shirts, a place she couldn't imagine Piper ever looking. She knew it would only delay her, it wouldn't keep her forever, but she hoped Piper wouldn't figure out she was behind the thievery, and remained hopeful that she'd be gifted a little more time.

On the morning of Piper's departure, all that remains is a single box that needs to be shipped and her suitcase. When she goes over her final checks, she shuffles through the small pocket of her roller bag, calmly at first but then becomes frantic. She gets up and checks the drawer of her nightstand, with eyebrows furrowed, knowing her passport wouldn't be there, for she always kept it in the same place. She stands in one place, a hand over her chin, looking around. She had it two days ago when she bought her plane ticket, she could've sworn she put it right back in the front pocket of her bag. She unpacks the contents from her suitcase, and stares at the silky lining of the empty bag. She messily re-packs, and does a walk through of the apartment, checking spaces where they tended to keep important things, but no passport.

"What's up? Can't find your rusty knife to stab me with one last time?"

Piper glares at her unamused, yes, be like this, it makes it so much easier. "I can't find my passport. I know I had it in my bag," she says feeling as if she's going crazy.

Alex nods, not shedding an ounce of sympathy and goes right back to what she was doing.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this right now. I need to go mail this. Can you look around while I'm gone?"

She's glad that Piper doesn't see the sneer across her face while she looked over her shoulder to flip her off, as the blonde once again heads out for last minute shipping and errands.

Her phone rings an hour later, the voice at the other end seems so distant, like the words being spoken are not for her, that she's an intruder, an eavesdropper on someone else's devastating conversation. The floor comes out beneath her, she slowly sinks onto the bed, she cant speak, she just stares into space.

"I'm so sorry Alex."

Her lids close, the tears stream down her cheeks, she drags breath in, and lets out a moan that's foreign. A beep in the phone let's her know Piper's calling, "hang on," she tells her aunt and doesn't wait for her to confirm.

"I can't talk right now, I'm on the other line," she says quickly and switches back to talk to her aunt.

"Alex? Honey?"

"Yeah?"

Her aunt goes on, explaining details, but she doesn't have the focus to understand. The tightening in her chest hurts, her face drops into her hand, she feels on verge of convulsive tears.

"I...I have to go," she says and ends the call. She scrolls through her contacts ready to call her mom, her automatic response in times of true distress. She lets the phone ring anyway, and go to voicemail, she presses the phone hard against her ear, as if the heightened sound and comfort of her mother's voice will bring her back. She redials, and listens again, whimpering through the recorded message, until her eyes hurt, sensitive to the light, brought on by a head filled with congestion. She stares at the window, her eyes burn, she sniffs back every few minutes, unable to move.

Piper's voice breaks the somber quiet, "are you off the phone now? It wasn't in the bathroom, either." She looks over at Alex's back, to see if she's off the phone. She ruffles through the contents of a two drawer dresser. "Did you look at all while I was out?" She's met with silence. "Alex, I understand you're upset, but could you at least acknowledge I'm a person who's speaking? If I miss this flight I'm screwed." She stops her rummaging, her voice heightens in frustration at being ignored, "Alex! Passport! Hello?"

"My mom died," she says out loud for the first time, the expression feels alien.

Mouth agape, she's momentarily speechless. The anger, betrayal, fear, sadness, all take an automatic backseat. "What?," she asks while walking over to take a seat next to the brunette.

"My aunt just called. It happened this morning, I guess."

"Oh, Alex. I'm so sorry," she tells her, pulling her into her arms, stroking her hair in comfort.

"My first instinct was to call her to talk about it."

"What happened?," Piper asks concernedly.

"An aneurysm? I don't know. My aunt said so many things I don't even remember now."

"What can I do?," she asks genuinely, needing to alleviate the brunette's pain.

"I don't know. I mean, I need to fly home. I need to figure out the funeral because there's no one else to do it," she swings into auto-pilot, focusing on getting a task done.

"Okay."

She picks up a shirt, previously cast aside on an arm chair and begins to fold it. "Will you see if you could find us two seats out on a flight today?"

Us. The words snap Piper back to where they were before. Before. When she once again asked me to get involved, to put my life on the line despite saying I would never do it again. The person she was afraid she'd do anything for, but couldn't get that back in return. No, she had to leave.

"Al, I can't go with you."

She stops folding, subtley shaking her head in disbelief, "what?"

"I am so sorry about your mom. But this doesn't change anything."

"You're still leaving? Right now? My mother just died." She beckons all her reserves not to stomp, and scream and throw a tantrum, " I can't fucking believe you."

"I can't be your girlfriend anymore."

"Yeah, and apparently not even my friend."

Piper sits tall, fighting all of her urges not to fling herself toward the brunette, for seeming heartless, when the brunette breaks her train of thought,

"Top drawer, underneath my t-shirts."

And like that, the anger surrounding her ex-girlfriend's manipulation returned, "Jesus, Alex!"

The brunette looks away in pathetically, ashamed that she'd resorted to an act so childish, after all she'd provided, taught, the way she loved, had proven to be insufficient.

"You fucking hid it?," Piper asks, pitifully looking at the brunette, sought passport in hand.

In a final request of desperation, hoping her honesty in revealing the whereabouts of the passport, would make Piper stay, she begs, "please don't leave," because she knows if Piper walks out right now, she'll fall to the ground and she doesn't know if she'll be able to get back up. "Not now."

She looks into the blonde's blue eyes, one final time before the girl pivots, grabs the handle of her suitcase and walks out, never looking back.

 _Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay Were laid, spread out before me, as her body once did._

 _All of five horizons, revolved around her soul, as the earth to the sun Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn_

 _Ooh, and all I taught her was everything Ooh, I know she gave me all that she was_

 _And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds of what was everything. Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything..._

 _I take a walk outside, I'm surrounded by some kids at play_

 _I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear?_

 _Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head, I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning, how quick the sun can drop away_

 _And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass of what was everything All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything..._

 _All the love gone bad turned my world to black Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll be_

 _I know someday you'll have a beautiful life,_

 _I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky, But why, why, why can't it be, can't it be mine?_


End file.
